CHAP. I. The general Scope, Coherence, Parts, and Ex­plication of the Words.

THE Lord had inflicted several Judgments upon this People already, 1. He had given them cleanness of teeth, and want of bread, ver. 6. 2. Withholden the rain from them, ver. 7, 8. 3. Smitten them with blasting and mil­dew, ver. 9. 4. Sent among them the Pestilence, (as [Page 2] he hath among us.) 5. Slain their young men with ehe sword, and taken away their horses, (as he hath done ours,) ver. 10. Yea, 6. He had overthrown some of them, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah; and they were as a fire-brand pluck't out of the burning, ver. 11. And yet they, notwithstanding all these Judgments, remaining still incorrigible, and not returning to the Lord: The Lord thereupon re­solves, [...]: Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel [...] and because I will do this unto thee, pre­pare to meet thy God, O Israel, &c.

In the words, we have 1st, The Lords Minatory Resolution; Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel.

2. His seasonable Admonition, and that is, that Israel (because he will do this) prepare to meet him.

3. We have this Admonition back'd and en­forc'd, by an Argument drawn from the Consi­deration of Gods infinite Power, Might, Majesty, and Greatness; of which we have here a most ample Description, ver. 13, He formeth the moun­tains, and createth the wind, &c. and he that doth all this, the Lord, the God of Hosts is his Name.

Explication.

Therefore thus will I do unto thee, &c. this there­fore refers to their incorrigibleness under for­mer Judgments, as the ground of the Lords pre­sent Resolution: Thus will I do unto thee: How? This Interpreters several ways make out, 1st, thus, i. e. say some, as I have before threatned, Verse 2, 3, Or thus, i. e. as thy incorirgibleness deserves, [Page 3] and calls for: Or 3dly, thus, i. e. worse then ever I have done, yet I will come with a severer strook so Calvin and others: Or 4thly, the Lord by ex­pressing himself thus, would the more point out the dreadfulness of the stroak, as being above what could be exprest; and therefore wraps it up in silence, and leaves it to them to imagine what it would be.

— Prepare to meet thy God: I find Expositors Interpreting this in a double sense: 1st, As spoken Ironically, i. e. in a way of holy derision at this Peoples obstinacy, and fool hardiness; as if the Lord had said, Seeing then you will not be re­claim'd, but still stand it out against Me, and I also am resolved to go on, to do as I have said; and do Proclaim open war against you, as Ene­mies and Rebels, Prepare then to meet me: muster up your forces, and gather together your strength, and make the best preparations you can, and see if you be able to withstand Me, or keep off that final Destruction which I have determined to bring upon you. And so this is like to the message which Jehu sent to the rulers of Jezreel, and those that brought up Ahabs children, 2 Kings 10. 1, 2, 3, &c. And this agrees well enough with the sequel; for lo, he that formeth the mountains, &c. as if the Lord had said, And you had need to make all, and the best preparation that you can; for you have a God to contest with, and he a God of infinite Power, Might, Majesty and Greatness; he formeth the mountains, &c. and the Lord, the God of Hosts is his Name.

But others understand it rather as spoken in a plain genuine sense, viz. that Israel should meet him [Page 4] in an humble penitential way, so as to endeavour to appease him; and so prevent that final over­throw, which else was like to come upon them: and so we are to look upon the words, not so much as a challenge, but as seasonable counsel and advice to Israel, to prevent yet, if possible, their ruin, and so I shall understand it at present: and thus it seems the rather to be taken, because the Lord does in the very next Chapter, several times invite them to seek him, that they might live, as ver. 4, Seek ye me, and ye shall live, and ver. 6, &c. Indeed their case seem'd even desperate, and God seem'd to have shut up against them the gate of mercy; but the Lord hints yet to them, that if they did but timely prepare to meet him, there might be hopes yet of pacifying of him.

CHAP. II. The several collateral Observations.

Obs. 1. WHatever is done to a people in a way of Judgment, It is the Lord that does it: Therefore thus will I do unto thee: and ver. 6, I also have given you cleanness of teeth, &c. and Amos 3. 6, Shall there be evil in a City, and the Lord hath not done it? Our sins indeed they occa­sion and procure what is done; put him upon such work, as he tells Jerusalem, Jer. 4. 18, Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee: this is thy wickedness, &c. and the Lord makes use of what Instruments he pleases, in executing what is done, but still he does it: whoever are the In­struments, [Page 5] he is still the great Agent, and Efficient: Affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground, Job 5. 6. Judg­ments are not casual, but providential. Isa. 42. 24, Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the Robbers? did not the Lord, he, against whom we have sinned, &c? and the Lord still observes what he does in such a way, and sets down and keeps as it were a Catalogue of his Judgments, as well as of his Mercies, and of peoples deportment under them, how they carry it; as here in this Chapter: The Lord declares all he had done, and all their in­corrigibleness notwithstanding: Yet have ye not re­turned unto me, saith the Lord: and Jer. 8. 6, I hearkned and heard, but they spake not aright; no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, what have I done? Every one turned to his course, as the horse rushes into the battel.

Ʋse 1. Let us then in all that is done, see, own, and acknowledg the Lords hand, and humble our selves under the same: thus it is said, The man of wisdom shall do, Mic. 6. 9, The Lords voice crieth unto the City: And the man of wisdom shall see thy Name, i. e. he shall see thee, and own thy hand in what is done: the not doing of which, the Lord complains of, and threatens, Isa. 26. 11, Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see; but they shall see, &c.

2. Let us turn to him that smites, and seek the Lord of Hosts as he often invites, Hosea 14. 1, O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God,—Take with you words, and turn to the Lord; say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously, &c. So Joel 2. 12, Therefore also now, saith the Lord, Turn [Page 6] ye even to me with all your heart, &c. and seek ye me, and ye shall live, Amos 5. 4, 6. And this the Lord expects, Hosea 15, In their affliction they will seek me early. Lord, in trouble have they visitod thee, Isa. 26. 16. And peoples not doing of this, is the great matter and ground of his complaint, and it rolls so in his thoughts, that he knows not how (as it were) to digest it. As here in this Chap­ter, it is five times together the matter of the Lords complaint,— Yet have ye not return'd to me, saith the Lord, ver. 6. So ver. 8, 9, 10, 11. So else­where, Hosea 11. 7, Though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him. They look­ed after, and minded other ways and means of help. Isa. 22. 8, Thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the Forest, &c. ver. 9, 10, 11. And they thought in this they were very wise and politick; but they neglected the main, To look to the Lord, and to seek and turn to him, ver. 11, 12, 23. And for this the Lord threatned to bring upon them final ruin, For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still: For the people turneth not to him that smites them; neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts. Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush in one day, Isa. 9. 12, 13, 14.

And therefore, as ever we would prevent our own, and the Nations ruin, let us speedly set up­on this; yea, and encourage one another to this, as the best course we can take, as the best way we can go: as those, Hosea 6. 1, 2, 3, Come, say they, let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us: he hath smitten, and he will bind us up, &c. And why gaddest thou about (saith the [Page 7] Lord) so much to change thy way, i. e. the way which I have prescribed thee, and that which should be thy way; but thou triest other ways and con­clusions: but in vain, and to no purpose, they shall avail thee nothing, Jer. 2. 36, 37, Thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria: Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head (a sign of shame and sorrow), for the Lord hath rejected thy confidences; those ways and refuges thou confidest in, and thou shalt not prosper in them.

Observ. 2. Whatever the Lord does, or threa­tens to do, to a people in a way of Judgment, it is not without cause; there is a therefore for it: Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and therefore hath he poured upon him the fury of his an­ger, Isa. 42. 25. Therefore the Kingdom of God shall be taken from you, Mat. 21. 43. And so I might give you hundreds more of such therefores, and wherefores, but they are every where obvious, and therefore I shall not stand to mention them; and all declare, that whatever the Lord does in à way of Judgment, it is not without cause: But does not the Lord tell Satan, that he moved him against Job, to destroy him without cause, Job 2. 3? It was indeed without cause, as to what Satan did alledg, and pretend as to Job, which was gross Hypo­crisie: so without cause, but not absolutely; for if God narrowly search the best, there's ever cause, so as to justifie God as to what he does. God indeed sometimes afflicts without respect to sin; but still there is cause enough from sin in the best to merit it, though not always the moving cause, &c.

[Page 8] Ʋse 1. This then lets us see the vast difference between Gods acting in a way of Judgment, and the sinners in a way of sin: For the one is not with­out cause, there is a therefore for it, but none for the other; There's no therefore for that: we do not indeed suffer without cause, but we sin with­out cause: Gods Judgments are not without cause, but mans transgressions are; and hence is it that the Lord does so Expostulate with his people, as concerning their sinful carriages towards him, as being without cause, nay, as having given them great cause to the contrary, as Jer. 2. 5, Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your Fathers found in me, that they are gone from me? and Verse 31, Have I been a wilderness unto Israel, a land of darkness? say my people, We are lords, we will come no more to thee. So Mic. 6. 3, 4, 5, O my people, What have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearred thee? Testifie against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, &c. As if the Lord had said, I have done indeed much good for thee, shewn a great deal of kindness towards thee: But what evil or hurt did I ever do to thee? So that if it be ask't here, Who hath wounds, who hath grief, who has offence without cause? It must be answered, God haes. O the disingenuity, In­gratitude, and unreasonableness of sin and sinners. Gods Service is indeed most reasonable, as that we should love him, and live and devote our selves to him— Which is yur reasonable service, Rom. 12. 1. But sin is unreasonable, and sinners: That we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, 2 Thes 3. 2. Solomon advises, Prov. 3. 30, Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done the no [Page 9] harm. But how do sinners strive with God with­out cause, when he has done them no harm, but much good? And how sad is this? for shall evil be recompensed for good? Sinners (it is said) love those that love them, and do good to those that do good to them, Luke 6. 32, 33. It is thus indeed as to Men, but not to God. Sinners (as one ex­presses it) carry themselves as Men towards Men, but as Devils towards God, acting below the very principles of common humanity, and their own nature as Men, as if they had not the hearts of Men; no principle being more deeply engraven in the hearts of Men, than this, to do good to those who do good to them; but sinners do evil to that God, who does good to them, and never did them hurt. They load, and weary him with their ini­quities, and make him to serve with their sins, who dayly loads them with his benefits; and sin against a Thousand mercies: So that God may say to sin­ners, what Christ sometime said to the Jews; For which of my good works is it that you stone me? John 10. 32. That you go on to sin against me, is it because I made you? or because I have ever since preserved you? (For we could as soon make our selves, as preserve our selves) or is it because I daily still sustain you, feed you, cloath you, and every way take care of you, and provide for you? O the reflection upon this another day, that there was no Cause, no Therefore, for sinners carrying it so towards God as they did, will be a great part of that worm of Conscience in Hell, which shall never dye. And this made those in Judges 2, when the Angel of the Lord had convinc'd them of the unreasonableness of their actings, Why, says [Page 10] the Angel, have ye done this? This made them lift up their voice and weep, and make the place where they were, a very Bochim, vers. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Ʋse 2. Then let us justifie the Lord in all he does, and acknowledg that he is righteous, not doing what he does without cause; but there being a Therefore for it. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel. Has the Lord sent among us the Sword? and after that the Plague? Yea, and after that, Fire, and several other judgments, as Gripes, strange sicknesses, Seasons, Storms, Tem­pests, Breaking us at Sea, and causing strange In­undations at Land? And is not his anger yet turned a­way, but is his hand stretched out still? As we have seen a▪late, in that dreadful Fire in Southwark; and again, a▪late at Northampton, to the great consternation of that people. None of these are without cause, but there's a Therefore for them all; and therefore let us say as the Church, Lam. 1. 18, The Lord is righteous, for we have rebelled, &c. And as Daniel [...]. 7, O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee; but unto us confusion of faces, &c.

Ʋse. 3. Let this then quiet us, and cause us pa­tiently to bear what ever the Lord hath, or may further inflict upon us; as the Prophet Micah re­solves chap. 7. 9, I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him. That is very observable to this purpose, which we read, Ezek. 13. 22, 23, where the Lord says of a Rem­nant there that should escape, That as concerning all the evil he should bring upon Jerusalem, when [Page 11] they should see what cause there was for what he did, they should be comforted concerning it all; a strange expression! The Lord had done fore and heavy things against Jerusalem, inflicted grievous judgments, he mentions four, viz. The Sword, Famine, noisom Beasts, and Pestilence: And not only gainst the Land, and City, but against the Temple: Read the Book of Lamentations. And yet when that Remnant should see the ways and doings of those against whom God had done it, they should see such cause for what God had done, that it is said, as concerning all that God had done, They should be comforted, i. e. contented, silenced, well satisfied, and not have a word tosay, as concerning all that the Lord had brought upon them. Pray peruse the place, it is worthy your se­rious observation, Vers. 22, Yet behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: Behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings (Their manner and course of lise and con­versation, how evil it hath been), and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways, and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause, all that I have done in it, says the Lord. And truly such have been, and still are at this day, the daring, crying sins, and abominable wickednesses of this Nation, yea, and of this City, as to the generality of us: Such is our pride every manner of way, in our Gait, Habit, Hair, Apparel, yea in our very Nakedness; such are [Page 12] our garish, ranting, flanting, immodest Attires and Dresses, so contrary to the fear of the Lord, and the profession of Godliness: Such our Luxury, Sensua­lity, Excesses, Revellings, Drunkenness, desperate Security; such our horrid and open profanations of Gods Name and Day, such our Atheism, Oaths, Er­rors, Heresies, Blasphemies, Perjuries, Superstitions, Idolatries, Oppressions, Cruelties, Thefts, Murders, Whoredoms, Adulteries, Uncleannesses, Hatred of God and his Ways, and the power of Godliness. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, sinners breaking out, and blood touching blood, Hos. 4. 2. In a word, such are our prodigious and execrable impieties of all sorts and kinds whatsoever: That what-ever evils the Lord hath, or may yet further bring upon us, or what ever he do with us; we have cause to be comforted, i. e. silenc'd, satisfied, and never open our mouths more. Why criest thou (saith God) for thinc affliction? Thy sorrows are incurable, for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were in­creased, I have done these things unto thee, Jer. 30. 15. And wherefore says the Lord, will you plead with me? Jer. 2. 29. They were ready to plead against God, as if he had been rigorous towards them; but wherefore, says the Lord, will you plead with me? ye have all transgressed against me, and let that silence you, and well it may: For there's more true real evil in one sin, the least sin, than in all other evils whatsoever: the evil of punishment being little to the evil of sin; the bitterness for sin, to the bitterness in sin; one strikes but at the creature, the other at the Creator, at God; one at what is finite, the other at what is infi­nite, &c.

[Page 13] Ʋse. 4. Let us labour then to find out the Cause, and get it removed: Let us not stand complain­ing, but sall upon searching and trying, for there is a Therefore for what the Lord doe [...]: For what ever he has done, or goes on still farther to do. As the Lord said to Joshua, when Israel fled before the Men of Ai, and were smitten, and Joshua fell to the earth upon his face, and was much trou­bled, Get thee up, saith the Lord, wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, &c. As if the Lord had said, Is there not cause for what is done? And let us therefore bespeak one ano­ther as they did, Lam. 3. 39, 40, 41, 42, Where­fore doth a living man complain, a man for the pun­ishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again unto the Lord: let us lift up our heart, with our hands, unto God in the Heavens▪ We have transgressed, and we have rebelled, &c.

Observ. 3. Although the Lord hath inflicted se­veral judgments already upon a people for their sins; yet unless they return unto him, he hath more and heavier still to inflict; yea, and will in­flict them, unless they return unto him. How many judgments doth the Lord here reckon up, that he had inflicted upon this people already? Want of bread, of rain, blasting, mildew, pestilence, sword, &c? And yet he had more and heavier still to inflict. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel. And how often does the Lord tell his people, in Levit. 26, that if they yet walked con­trary to him, and would not hearken to him, he would bring seven times more plagues upon them, vers. 21, 24, 28, &c. The Lords quiver is full of [Page 14] Arrows. We have Four mentioned together, Ezek. 14. 21, The sword, the famine, the noisom beast, and the pestilence. And hath not England experienc'd this, That the Lord hath variety of judgments to inflict? For how many hath the Lord inflicted upon us, one after another, and sometimes several together? The Lord he sent the Sword, which did eat the flesh, and drink the blood of many; and when that would not do, he sent the Pestilence, That walked in darkness, and wasted at noon-day: Did execution continually; laying waste whole Families, and making desolate all their com­pany, sweeping away in and about this City, in less than a years space, near, if not above, A Hundred Thousand; making burying-work, till there was scarce room to bury in. Thus the Lord first sent fire into our bones, as the Church com­plains, Lam. 1. 13, From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them. And when this would not do, he sends a dreadful Fire into our Habitations, which swallows up both them and our Estates; so that before we were scarce got out of one Fire, another devours us; one our Houses, another our selves; one our Per­sons, the other our Portions and Estates; as the Lord threatned the Inhabitants of Jerusalem, Ezek. 15. 7, And I will set my face against them, they shall go out from one fire, and another shall de­vour them, &c. And when these would not do, how many more judgments has the Lord inflicted upon us since? So many, that it is hard to reckon them up, strange Gripes, and other grievous sick­nesses; strange Seasons, grievous Storms, Tempests breaking us at Sea, and causing strange Innunda­tions [Page 15] at Land, such as have not been in our days, no not in our Fathers days before us. Thus that the Lord hath many and various judgments to in­flict upon a people for their sins, Gods dealing with us here in this Nation, abundantly eviden­ces.

Ʋse 1. Let us all then learn to fear this God, who hath so many, and so various judgments to inflict on a people for their sins; who though he hath inflicted several already, hath yet more to inflict and heavier, whose quiver is so full of Ar­rows. I will, says the Lord, heap mischiefs upon them, I will spend my arrows upon them. The sword without, and terrour within, &c. Deut. 32. 23, 25. There are many Plagues, that are written in this Book, and many that are not written; Deut. 28. 61. And shall not all then fear him? O let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in aw of him, Psal. 33. 8. Who would not fear thee, O king of nations? for to thee doth it appertain, &c. Jer. 10. 7. And you know what Christ says to his friends, Be not afraid of them that can kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do: But fear him that hath more yet that he can do, that after he hath killed, can cast into Hell, Luke 12. 4, 5. And therefore Christs says again, fear him.

Ʋse 2. Let us no longer then stand it out against him, but speedily and forthwith come in, and submit unto him; for if we do not, he hath still more judgments to inflict, more mischiess to heap, more arrows to spend, his quiver is not emptied, nor are his arrows all drawn out, or exhausted; but [Page 16] will therefore overcome when he judges, subdue, or destroy. If devouring us as a Lyon will not do, he can be as a Moth, as he threatens, Hos. 5. 12, Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a Moth, &c. secretly and insensibly consuming us. If whips will not do, he has scorpions; if not foot­men, he has horses, Jer. 12. 5. If not winds to fan and to cleanse, he has winds utterly to lay waste. He can bring over us, the same judgments again, as Sword, Pestilence, Fire, Flames, the last of which he hath eminently done a-late, as (not to mention other) at Northampon: which (our mother City being before consum'd) was next, (as being one of her principal daughters) dreadfully consum'd also; and where very lately the Fire hath broken out again, and burnt a great part of the remainder thereof. So lately in Southwark, in a few hours how many hundreds of Houses were there sud­denly consum'd? And a dreadful and lamentable Fire was there alate in Warwick-lane? So I call it, because though there was but one House burnt, yet Seven Persons were consum'd in ☞ that One House: Dreadful indeed! for we do not read of so many consum'd, no not in that great desolating Fire in 66, when 87 Parishes were burn'd down to the ground within the Walls, and several without, and according to the computation of some, above Thirteen thousand Houses, and yet not so many Persons consum'd as in this one House! O! it is lamentable and dreadful indeed, when God by Fire shall consume not only our Houses and E­states, but our selves; not only our Portions, but Persons; not only dead Walls, but living Wights! Or God can inflict yet other and heavier, as Fa­mine, [Page 17] a sore and heavy Arrow indeed! one of the dreadfullest Arrows in the Lords Quiver; which (blessed be God) we have not as yet ex­perienc'd, at least in late years: though formerly in the year 700, History tells of a Famine here in England, of three years continuance, so violent, that not only many daily died for hunger, but great numbers joyning hand in hand, 40 or 50 in a company, threw themselves headlong into the Sea. And this judgment star'd them a-late in the face, in New-England, as one writes, several Hor­ses being there eaten, in pursuit of the enemy, for want o [...] provisions. But though the Lord hath some times threatned this, yet blessed be God he hath not yet inflicted it. How dreadful an Arrow this is, appears by the monstrous and horrid effects thereof, as Lam. 4. 10, The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children, they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. O tremble ye women that are at ease, and hear and be troubled ye careless daughters, Isa. 32. 9, 11. For what are we better than they? This cannot but be looked upon as exceeding sad, heavy, and horrid, as indeed it is! But what is sin then, that occasions this? Thus the Lord has this, and several other judgments yet to inflict; as Captivity, Earthquakes, of which, in several Counties there has been somewhat a-late: Or the Lord can punish, by resolving to punish no more, I mean with outward punishments: As he threat­ens, Hos. 4. 14, I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery, &c. and vers. 17, Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. And Isa. 1. 5, Why should ye be stricken any more? &c. And this is ve­ry [Page 18] sad! For though former judgments have not wrought upon a people, yet there may be hopes, God pursuing them still with judgments, that they may at length be prevail'd with; but where Re­medies are no more used, it argues the case de­sperate: And God hath not only temporal, but spiritual judgments to inflict, which though least fear'd, or felt, are the sorest and heaviest of all. As to be under a spirit of slumber, to hear, but not to understand; to see, but not perceive; to have hearts made fat and gross, and ears dull of hearing, &c. Rom. 11. 8, &c. To be given up to strong delusions, and to believe lies, 2 Thes. 2. 10, 11, 12, as many are in these days, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved: nor believed the truth, but had pleasure in unrigh­teousness. So for people to be given up to their own hearts lusts, and to walk in their own coun­sels, as Psal. 8. 12, So I gave them up to their own hearts lusts, &c. A dreadful so indeed! one of the saddest in the whole book of God: worse than to be given up to the Plague, Sword, &c. So we read of a spiritual judgment upon E­gypt, Isa. 19. 11, 12, 13, 14, &c. God having ming­led a perverse spirit, a spirit of frowardness, fool­ishness and madness, in the midst thereof; so as to deprive them of all wisdom and understanding, that they could neither give counsel, nor know which way to turn themselves, but erred in every work of their hands, and were like a drunken man lying in his Vomit, who the more he stirs, the more he defiles himself; and so the more they went on to give counsel, the more harm and mis­chief they did: So that all were confus'd, and [Page 19] neither persons of high nor low degree, had their wits or senses about them, neither did any of their businesses prosper, or were brought to perfection. Herodotus writes of a certain King of Egypt, called Psammetychus, that he lay with a mighty Army 29 years compleat before the City of Azo­tus: A wise enterprise, was it not? Thus the Lord wants not plagues still to inflict upon an in­corrigible people; so that if we still stand it out against him, we shall certainly fall before him, and he will carry it, and have the day.

Obser. 4. If Gods Israel, if his people refuse to return to him, they must expect no more to be spar'd than others. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel. God is here no respecter of persons. Jer. 15. 7, I will destroy my people (such they professed themselves to be), sith they return not from their ways. And chap. 12. 7, I have for­saken mine house: I have left mine heritage: I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies: and as I live, saith the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence, Jer. 22. 24, 25, &c.

Ʋse. Let not any then bear themselves up with this, that they are Gods Israel, his People, as if this would secure them, for it will not; Therefore thus will I do to thee, O Israel. And Jer. 7. 12, Go ye now (says the Lord) unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it, for the wickedness of my people Israel. So may the Lord say, Go to Jeru­salem, [Page 20] go to those Seven once so famous Churches of Asia, yea, go to Germany, and go now to New-England, and see what God is doing there—Nay this is so far from securing a People, that this the rather more incenses his wrath, and ne­cessitates his punishing of them. Amos 3. 2, You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. And Ezek. 9. 6, Begin at my sanctuary, &c.

Obser. 5. God does not willingly inflict more and heavier stroaks upon his people. For while he threatens here to deal severelier with them, he does withal admonish them to meet him; which shews he had rather be so prevented, and that mercy rather pleases him, his usual and or­dinary work: And he does indeed threaten, that he may not inflict. Lam. 3. 33, For he doth not afflict willingly, &c. And how shall I give thee up Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee Israel? &c. Hos. 11. 7.

Ʋse. Let us not then by our incorrigibleness, force him to what he is unwilling, and hath (as it were) a reluctancy.

CHAP. III. The main and principal Observation.

Obser. 6. WHen God is in the way of his judg­ments, it is his Peoples great du­ty and concern for to meet him: As here he ad­monishes them. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. And that the Lord doth here invite his people to meet him, it doth in a word denote, 1. His being angry with them. 2. His coming forth as a formidable enemy against them. 3. His being yet placable, and that there is a pos­sibility yet of appeasing him, if his people do but timely address themselves to him. But 4. That he will else certainly go on to do what he threatneth.

Now in the further carrying on this Propo­sition of so great importance, I shall do these Three things.

• 1. I shall shew you how we are to meet God.
• 2. Why we are so to meet him; give you the Reasons and grounds thereof. And then
• 3. Apply it.

1. How we are to meet God in the way of his judgments.

1. More generally, We are so to meet him, as may best appease him; and therefore so meet him, as others have met those who have been in­cens'd against them; as Jacob met his incensed Brother Esau, bowing himself even seven times to [Page 22] the ground, Gen. 33. 3. As Abigail met David, falling down at his feet, with I pray thee forgive the trespass of thine handmaid, &c. 1 Sam. 25. 23, 24. As they who brought up Ahabs Children met Jehu. We are, say they, thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us, 2 Kings 10. 4, 5. As Benhadads servants met the King of Israel, with sackcloth on their loyns, and ropes upon their heads, &c. 1 Kings 20. 31, 32. As that King which had but ten thousand, went to meet him which came against him with twenty thousand, who while he was yet a great way off, sends an Ambas­sage, and desires conditions of peace, Luk. 14. 31, 32. As the Prodigal Son met his Father. Fa­ther, says he, I have sinned against heaven and be­fore thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son, &c. Luk. 15. 17, 18, 19. Thus we are to meet God, not so as to oppose him, but pacifie him; not so as to fight him, but fall down at his feet, and humble our selves before him; not to wage War with him, but supplicate grace and mercy from him, that we may find grace in his sight, and we will be his servants. Not with Arms, not with Swords and Spears, but Prayers and Tears, the proper Arms and Ammu­nition of his people; and but with which there's no contending with him, nor overcoming of him.

2. And more particularly, we are to meet God these Six ways.

I. With Preparation, As the Lord himself here admonishes,— Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. A provoked incensed God is not to be met at an ad­venture, hand over head, any way, or after any [Page 23] fashion; no, his People are to prepare to meet him; they are to do so in the way of his Ordinances, and so in the way of his Judgments: For 1. He is a great God, he formeth the mountains, createth the wind, &c. And it is a great work to meet him, and to meet him aright, and as we ought, so as to appease him; and therefore we are to prepare to meet him.

And 1. we are to get habitually prepared, which is by getting out of that estate wherein we are all now by nature. For that is no estate to meet a provoked, incensed God in: It is not a state in­deed fit to meet God in, any where, or in any way, not in the ways of his Ordinances, in his ways of Grace and Mercy; for such as are yet in the flesh, i. e. in their corrupt state, cannot please God, Rom. 8. 8. How much more unfit are they to meet God in the way of his Judgments? As unfit as briars and thorns to meet devouring flames; stubble fully dry, a consuming fire. Who would set the briars and thorns against me in battel? I would go thorow them, and burn them together, Isa. 27. 4. And therefore for People to be, and abide still in their sins, when God is in the way of his Judg­ments, how sad is it! and what a dreadful meet­ing must such expect? We may say to such, as Isa. 10. 3, And what will ye do in the day of vi­sitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far, &c? And therefore hasten out of such an estate, for it is not a state Ista preparatio sub se complectitur veram renovatio­nem cordis, &c. Calv. to be rested in a moment longer; and therefore escape for your lives, Deliver your selves as a Roe from the hand of the Hunter, and as a bird [Page 24] from the hand of the fowler: Give not sleep to your eyes, nor slumbet to your eye-lids, till you are de­livered.

2. We are actually to prepare our selves to meet God, 1. By getting upon our hearts a sense and awe of the Infinite Power, Might, Majesty and Greatness of that God we are to meet. It being he that forms the Mountains, and creates the wind, &c. And therefore after what sort, and in what manner is such a God to be met? And the Lord does therefore thus on purpose express him­self, to produce such an awe and sense of his Great­ness, &c. 2. By getting our hearts affected with those judgments he hath, or is about to inflict, and the sins which procured them. And this hath been much the frame of the People of God for­merly. As of those in Ezra. 10, Who gathering themselves together unto Jerusalem to meet God: It is said, vers. 9, That all the people sate in the street of the house trembling; because of this matter, i. e. 1. Because of their sin. And then 2. For the great rain, which though (as most Expositors sup­pose) it fell in November, and the beginning of December; they beginning the Months in March, a time usually of much Rain; yet it being great and extraordinary, they are so affected therewith as to tremble. But who among us, hath been, or is so affected either with our sins, or judgments, as to tremble? Never so great calamities made less impression upon the hearts of Men, as if given over to hardness. How different was the frame of the Saints formerly? O Lord, says the Prophet Habbakkuk, I have heard they speech, and was afraid. And vers. 16, When I heard, my belly trembled, my [Page 25] lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entred into my bones, and I trembled in my self, &c. Habbak 3. 2. And David, though he was a King, and a man of a War-like undaunted Spirit; he feared not the Bear, nor the Lyon, nor great Goliah: yet, says he, My flesh trembles for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments, Psal. 119. 120. Though other things did not daunt him at all, yet Gods Judgments did; and no wonder, there being wrath in them, and that is dreadful, and we are to tremble at his word, Isa. 66. 26. and how much more than at his rod? And if we are to serve him with fear, and rejoyce with trembling, Psal. 2. 11. How much more then being incens'd by our sins, are we so to meet him? At his reproof the pillars of heaven are said to tremble and be astonisht, Job 26. 11. and shall not we? And this holy fear does not only prepare to meet God, but puts people upon it, as 'tis said of Jehosaphat, 2 Chron. 20. 3, That he feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. Which we are to understand of a holy godly fear, rela­ting to God, and not meerly natural, relating to men. And this put him upon meeting God: so it is said of Noah, that moved with fear, he pre­pared an Ark to the saving of his house, &c. Heb. 11. 7. But how little of this holy fear and awe of God and his Judgments, is to be found among us! No, generally we fear nothing, we are stupid, sense­less, and regardless of God and his Judgments, nothing affects us. Were there not those, who sat Drinking and Singing in the very face of those late dreadful Ruines in Southwark! O the daring impudency of sin and sinners in this Age! The [Page 26] devils believe and tremble, but men do not: And this deadness and deep security, when all things speak an approaching storm, as it evidences, says one, a great Judgment, and spiritual plague from God upon our Spirits; so it presages no less than remediless Ruine: for Sinners having no fear nor dread of God nor his Judgments, they ne­ver mind to meet him in the way of them. They cast off fear, and hence restrain prayer, Job 15. 4. A sad frame, when Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he di­ed, Hos. 13. 1. Fearless persons are ever careless, and regardless to meet God in the way of his Judgments.

3. By considering and advising what to do, and what course is best to be taken. As the young man Counsel'd Abigail, when evil was determined against her Houshold: Now therefore, says he, know and consider what thou wilt do, &c. 1 Sam. 25. 17. And the Lord is not wanting herein; he hath shewn us in his word, what is good, and what it is he requires of us, and we should hearken to him.

4. By setting our selves with all seriousness to do it; we must up and be doing. The Lord complains of those, Hos. 5. 4, They would not so much as frame their doings to turn unto their God.

5. By laying aside our weapons. I mean our sins, by which we oppose, and as it were fight against God; and to speak of meeting God, and not to do this, is as if one who had incensed another, and made him his enemy, should go to appease him with his offensive weapons in his hand; which instead of appeasing him, would [Page 27] certainly the more incense him: and therefore in our addresses to God, so as to appease him, this we are still put upon, Isa. 1. 16, Wash you (says the Lord) make you clean, put away the evil of your doing from before mine eyes; cease to do evil, &c. and come now (saith the Lord) and let us rea­son together: Now I will enter a parley with you, and now you are fit to be treated with: So Jam. 4 8, Draw nigh to God, &c. But how? Cleanse your hands ye sinners, purifie your hearts ye double-mind­ed, &c. and thus Samuel calls upon Israel, to pre­pare their hearts unto the Lord, by putting away their strange gods, &c. 1 Sam. 7. 3. And Zophar counsels Job, If thou prepare thine heart. &c. If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, &c. Job 11. 13, 14.

6. By seeking the Lord to prepare us, to fit us for, and help us in that great work: for the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walk­eth to direct his steps, Jer. 10. 33. The prepara­tions, or disposings of the heart in man are from the Lord, Prov. 16. 1: and as the King's, so all our hearts are in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of wa­ter; he turneth them whither soever he will, Prov. 21. 1. And he can turn them to, and tune them for the work in hand: prepare them to meet him, Thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear, Psal. 10. 17. And quicken us, and we will call upon thy name, Psal. 80. 18.

II. By Prayers and Supplications: These both pre­pare to meet God, and are themselves one speci­al and singular way of meeting him: and hence the same Hebrew word that signifies to pray, or in­tercede, signifies also to meet; it being by prayer [Page 28] that we do indeed meet God: and the word is especially applied to our meeting God when he appears angry: as Jer. 7. 16,—Neither make in­tercession to me, or do not meet me: do not in­terpose between me and them, to mediate for them, for I will not hear thee: What a sad condition was this people in? and our meeting God consists so much in this, that the Seventy render it here, [...]. to call upon thy God; and this at such a time the Lord in a special manner calls for, Seek ye me and ye shall live: Seek the Lord and ye shall live, Amos 5. 4, 6. And take with you words,—Say unto him, Take away all ini­quity and receive us graciously, Hosea 14. 4. And thus have his people met him formerly: How of­ten did Moses thus meet him? He thus stood be­fore him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, and that he might not destroy Israel. So Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord, 2 Chron. 20. 3. Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastning was upon them, Isa. 26. 16. And this the Lord expects, that when he's in the way of his Judgments, and visiting us, that we should thus visit him, meet him, by praying, and interceeding: Hosea 5. 15,—In their affliction they will seek me early. And for people at such a time to restrain prayer, is exceeding fad, and ar­gues great impiety: For what is it but to despise God and his Judgments? For the great God to come out against a people in the way of his Judg­ments; and they will not so much as stir a foot to go out to meet him, so as to divert and turn him back, but he may come on and destroy all, for all them. They fear not at all his anger, nor [Page 29] regard his displeasure: Thus it is said of Jerusa­lem, as an heavy crime,— She drew not near to her God, Zeph. 3. 2. And this Daniel bewails, All this evil is come upon us, yet made we not our pray­er before the Lord our God, &c. Dan. 9. 3. And upon this account, the Hypocrites in heart are said to heap up wrath: They cry not when he bindeth them, Job 36. 13. i. e. they do not call upon him, or at least not fervently, when he punishes them.

Q. How must our prayers be qualified, so as to prevail?

1. They must be sincere, and in truth: Let us draw near with a true heart, &c. Heb. 10. 22: and the Lord is nigh unto all that call upon him, in truth, Psal. 145. 18. As 1. When we pray, and call upon him indeed, and not only seem to do it; when we not only say, but pray a prayer, pour out our hearts in prayer. 2. When our in­ward disposition, answers our outward expression. 3. When we prosecute what we pray for, and pray on our feet, as well as on our knees; and let not our practises confute our prayers.

2. They must be the Prayers of such as know every one the plague of his own heart, and so are humble, as such ever are. And this Solomon puts in as one qualification of those prayers which he beg'd of God to hear, 1 Kings 8. 38, What prayer and sup­lications soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart; &c. i. e. the sin, for that is the plague of the heart, and to know it, is to see it, and to have a due sense of it: to be affected with it, and afflicted for it, and to complain and cry [Page 30] out of it: Rom. 7. 24, as Paul, O wretched man that I am, &c! And such are ever humble, and such the Lord hears: Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble, Psal. 10. 17. And if their uncir­cumcised hearts be humble, Levit. 26. 41.

3. Of such as abandon sin, and regard not ini­quity in their hearts: For if, says the Psalmist, I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me, 66. 18. God will never be a prayer-regar­ding God, to a sin-regarding sinner. The blind man knew this, that God heareth not sinners: i. e. that live and lye in sin, make a trade of sin, &c. But if any man be a worshipper of God, and do his well, him he heareth, Joh. 9. 31. Lifting up holy hands, &c. 1 Tim. 2. 8.

4. They must be in Faith, with comfortable af­fiance in Gods bounty, goodness, and mercy, of being heard, Jam. 1. 6: so as that after we have prayed, we rest thereon for Audience: Thus he that cometh to God, and meets him, must believe that he is, i. e. what his word reveals him to be, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him: Thus we must pray with good and high thoughts of God, though with low and mean thoughts of our selves.

5. Fervent, we must not only pray, but cry, yea, cry mightily, Exod. 14. 15. Lift up a prayer, Jonah 3. 8. Strive and wrestle in prayer, Set our selves to pray, weep and make supplication, Isa. [...]7. 4. Hosea 12. 4. Press and urge our prayers with arguments upon arguments, as Moses, How ma­ny arguments does he make use of in that short prayer? Exod. 32. 11, 12, 13,—Why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, and which thou [Page 31] hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt, &c? And wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, &c? and remember Abraham, Isaac, &c. And the word which signifies to intercede, or meet, notes properly such a kind of meeting, as is with force and violence; intimating thereby, with what holy violence, fervency, and earnestness, we should meet God, both in prayer for our selves, and wherein we become intercessors, and stand before him for others, and these are the prayers that prevail: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much: or the working prayer, that sets the whole man a work; heart a work, affection a work, and all the graces a work; and is not so much the la­bour of the lip, as the travel of the heart: as it is said of Hannah, She spake in her heart, &c. 1 Sam. 1. 18. And Daniel set his face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplication, &c. Dan. 9. 3. Want of this, the Prophet bewails, Isa. 64. 7, And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: None! surely there were some; they were not come to that height of Prophaness, as to cast off pray­er quite. Many no doubt prayed, but not to pur­pose; it was as if they prayed not, they did not put forth themselves in prayer, pray with all their might: as it follows,— That stirreth up himself: it was in a cold formal way, there was no life, vi­gor, nor activity in their prayer: though God ma­nifested his displeasure against them; and seem'd to be going from them, yet such was their dead­ness, sluggishness, and stupidity, that they were not awakened thereby.

6. Chiefly for spiritual mercies, so as to have our [Page 32] desires mainly carried forth after God, his favour, grace, pardon, peace, reconciliation with him, that we may be turned away from our iniquities; that he would turn us again to himself, and cause his face to shine; and that so we may be saved: as the Church prays thrice, Psal. 80. 3, 7, 19. and Isa. 26. 8, In the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, &c. And this the Lord much invites un­to: Seek the Lord, and seek his face, &c. Psal. 105. 4. Seek righteousness, seek meekness, &c. Zeph. 2. 3. Say unto him, take away all iniquity, and re­ceive us graciously, Hosea 14. 1, 2. And to this the promise is made of Audience,— If they shall seek my face, &c. 2 Chron. 7. 14. And the Lord complains of those that assembled for corn and wine, Hosea 7. 14: but minded not him, nor his favours: and how should we bless the Lord, that gives us this counsel and advice, and puts us up­on seeking that which is not only soveraign and excellent in it self, but of so great importance, and absolute and indispensable necessity as to us: In his favour is life, yea, it is better than life: and without it, we are but dead while we live. Spiritual mercies must be had, or we dye, we are undone, we are lost, and perish for ever, though we should spend our days in gathering up Pearls and Jewels.

7. Prefer'd in Christs Name; which is of such infinite worth, and of fo great force, interest and efficacy in Heaven, that Jesus Christ himself has assur'd us, that whatsoever we shall ask the Father in that name, he will give it us, Joh. 16. 23, 24. And then we ask in his name, when we ask for his sake; and draw our encouragement therefrom: [Page 33] when in prayer we lay the whole stress of our hopes of Audience and acceptance upon him, and him alone, and his merits and mediation; and that interest which he has in, and with the Father in Heaven: and this was long ago fore-tipified in pray­ing towards the Temple, 1 Kings 8. 30, 38, &c. and with hands spread forth to it, which was a Type of Christ our mediator:— and spread forth his hands towards this house, &c. and, in thy fear will I worship towards thy holy Temple, &c. Psal. 5. 7.

8. With perseverance, so as to hold on, and hold out therein: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching there­unto with all perseverance, &c. Eph. 6. 18. We must continue in prayer, Col. 4. 2. Pray without ceasing, 1 Thes. 5. 17. As Acts 12. 5, Prayer was made without ceasing of the Church to God: and Christ spake a parable to this end, That men ought always to pray, and not to faint, &c. Luk. 18. 12, &c. As the Church in Psal. 80, they pray, and pray a­gain, and again, that God would turn them again, and cause his face to shine: Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord, &c. Hos. 6. 3. This is a token for good indeed, that we shall have what we crave when we hold on and will not be beaten out, nor take denial, as that woman of Canaan, Mat. 15. 22, 23, &c. Christ could not shake her off, neither by silence, nor by what he said, but she still persists in her suit; and Jesus answers and says to her at last, O woman, great is thy Faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt, &c. Take what thou wilt, I have not met with such a woman as thou art, that wilt not be said: Luk. 11. 8, I say unto you, though he will not rise and give him, be▪ [Page 34] cause he is his friend; yet because of his importu­nity, he will rise and give him as many as he need­eth: The Greek is impudency, and so some ren­der it, nevertheless for his impudency sake, his im­modest persistance, taking no denial: As you have some sort of Beggars, that are so importunate, and even impudent, that you cannot get gone with­out an Alms; say what you will, speak them fair, or foul, all's one, they will weary you out, till they have it. And such an holy impudency in prayer, so as to take no denial, as it is very acceptable to God, so exceeding prevalent with God.

Thus as we are to meet God by prayers and supplications; so our prayers, if we would prevail, are to be thus qualified: and being thus quali­fied, how prevalent have they been? and what great things have they done in the world? when God has come forth against a people, and been preparing to do great things against them, how have such prayers put a stop to his Judiciary proceedings.

III. By true Repentance and Conversion, with deep humiliation, and by thorow and unfeigned refor­mation, which are the two main essential parts of Repentance: and thus we are in a special manner to meet God; this being a main and princi­pal thing therein, and that which he in a special manner, when he is in the way of his Judgments, puts his people upon, and calls, and invites them to, to repent and turn to him: Therefore also now, saith the Lord, Turn ye even to me with all your heart, &c. Joel 2. 12. And O Israel, Return unto the Lord thy God, &c. Hosea 14. 1. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, Turn ye unto me, &c. Zeph. [Page 35] 1. 3. Wash ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings, &c. Isa. 1. 16, &c. Amend your ways and your doings, Jer. 7. 3. And so in many other places: this is still his call, that when he is in the way of his Judgments we should learn righteous­ness; that when he is punishing, we should be re­penting, amending, and reforming. And thus se­veral Interpreters Expound it: Prepare to meet thy God, i. e. by serious repentance, with true con­version. By prayers, and penitential tears, and amendment of life: So Calvin, Drusius, Mercerus, Piscator, Junius, Dutch and English Annot.

And here, 1. We are to search and find out our sins. Those Achans that trouble our Israel, and threaten our ruin, we should say as those, Lam. 3. 40, Let us search and try our ways, &c. And so some read those words, Zeph. 2. 1, we render them gather your selves together, yea, gather to­gether: but others, search your selves narrowly, yea, search your selves narrowly, yea, search your selves narrowly, i. e. get atoned and reconciled to God; and that you may do so, enter into your selves, and make a diligent and narrow search into your hearts and ways, so as to find out those sins which have so heavily pro­voked the Lord, and offended him. 2. Having found them out, and being convinced of them, we are to confess and acknowledg them, and that with shame and confusion of face: If they shall confess their iniquity, &c. Levit. 26. 40. Jer. 3. 13. 1 Joh. 1. 9. Prov. 28. 13. 3. We are to mourn for them, be­wail them, and be in bitterness for them: Turn to me with weeping and mourning, and rent your heart, and not your garments, Joel 2. 12. I will (says David) declare mine iniquity, and be sorry for my [Page 36] sin, Psal. 38. 18. And I have surely heard E­phraim bemoaning himself—and after I was instruct­ed, I smote upon my thigh, &c. Jer. 3. 18. And this sorrow must be chiefly for the offence done to God, that we have sin'd against him, that so great and good a God and merciful Father has been offended; it must be for the bitterness in sin, more than for the bitternese for sin; and it must be for others sins, for the Nations sins as well as our own: As Rivers of water run down Davids eyes, because others kept not Gods Law, Psalm 119. 136. But our sins fetch few tears from our eyes; we have hard hearts and dry eyes, many complaining, but few weeping Penitents: we have many rivers, but in this respect a dry Island. And the Lord hath a mark for such in the saddest times, That sigh and cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst of them, Ezek. 9. 4. 4. We are to judg and condemn our selves for them. 1 Cor. 11. 31. Luke 15. 18, 19. 5. We are to beg, and earnestly seek the pardon of them: How earnest was Moses for this? If now I have found grace in thy sight, pardon our iniquity and our sin, &c. If thou wilt forgive their sin, and if not, blot me, &c. Exod. 34. 9-32. 3. He knew they were an un­done people, unless the Lord did this: So Num. 14. 19. And how earnest was David for this, as Psal. 51▪ 1, 2, &c. 6. Above all, we are to aban­don them, reform them, and turn from them to the Lord; to forsake them: it must be not only re­pentance of sin, or for sin, but from sin: Let the wicked for sake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, &c. Isa. 55. 7. And upon this God hath promised to hear from heaven, and pardon, and [Page 37] heal—To repent of the evil he thought to do: And that iniquity shall not be our ruin, 2 Chron. 7. 1. Jer. 18. 8. Ezek. 18. 30 And this is that which hath prov'd very effectual, and that when a peoples case hath seem'd even desparate: as Judg. 10. God hath told that people, he would deliver them no more: Go, says the Lord, and cry unto the Gods which ye have chosen, &c. ver. 13, 14. But ver. 16, it is said, They put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord, and his soul was grievea for the misery of Israel. So Jonah 3. 4, Yet forty days, and Niniveh shall be overthrown; but ver. 10, it is said, God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and God repented of the evil he said he would do unto them, and he did it not. But however otherwise we pretend to meet God, unless withal we do this, we do nothing; neither will all else that we do avail any thing, as to put a stop to Gods Judiciary proceedings. And therefore we are thus in a spe­cial manner to set our selves to meet God, by a speedy breaking off our sins, and amending our ways; and we should, as I said before, encourage one another to this, as those Hosea 6. 1, Come, let us return unto the Lord, &c. and then a troop of mercies comes; there will be healing and bind­ing up: and verse 2, 3, reviving, raising up, and living in his sight: and then his going forth shall be as the morning; and he shall come to us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. But without this, we must expect inevita­ble ruin: as the Lord threatens again and again, see Isa. 9. 13, 14. Jer. 15. 7, Ezek. 24. 12, 13, 14. You know what Christ said to the Angel of the [Page 38] Church of Ephesus, Rev. 2. 5, Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent and do thy first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his plaee, except thou repent. And wo to us, if he and his Gospel go from us. Psal. 22. 27, It is there said, All the ends of the world shall remember, and turn to the Lord. And O that at length we might re­member, and do so; remember our selves, and how much it is our own, and the Nations concern, and turn unto the Lord. Shall we always for­get God, and our selves too? How long shall our sins be a snare to us? Know we not yet that England is in danger to be destroy'd? And do we not see his anger is not yet turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have born chastisement; I will not offend any more. That which I see not, teach thou me, if I have done iniquity, I will do no more, Job 34. 31, 32. And till we do this, we do not only forget our selves, but we are not our selves, we are not only out of our way, but out of our wits: Sin being so great an evil, yea, the greatest and chie [...]est, and indeed only true evil; the cause of all other, and it self the worst punishment: the work of the Devil, yea, worse than the De­vil and Hell, and which nothing can expiate but Christs blood, &c. And then to repent and turn to the Lord, is every way so much our concern, and that which makes so infinitely for our own and the Nations weal, that were we but our selves, or in our right minds, we could not but resolve on it: as it is said of the Prodigal Son, that as soon as ever he came to himself, He said, I will arise [Page 39] and go to my Father, &c. So that before, he was not himself, no more are we till we repent and turn to God: then, and not till then, is it, that we are our selves; and do indeed remember our selves, and our own, and the Nations great con­cern: and O that the Lord therefore would be pleas'd so to remember us, that we might at length thus remember our selves, and him too, so as to turn to him by conversion, without which will follow inevitahle destruction.

IV. In and with a Mediator: even that One, and only Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, 2 Tim. 1. 5. For so great is the distance between God and us, and such is our sinfulness and great unrighteousness by reason thereof, that there can be no meeting God with acceptance, without a Mediator: and this Mediator is Jesus Christ alone: and hence we are said to come unto God by him, Heb. 7. 25. And in him to have bold­ness and access with confidence, by the faith of him, Eph. 3. 12. And but in, and with him, there is no coming to God with acceptance.

In him: i. e. b [...]ing in him by faith, united to him; as Paul speaks oft of the Saints, as being in Christ, Col. 1. 2. Rom. 16. 7, 11, &c. and of himself he says, I knew a man in Christ, 2 Cor. 12. 2. And how hap­py is it to be indeed in him, especially in such evil days, and perilous times as these are: for can we be better, he being the hiding-place from the wind, and the covert from the tempest: As rivers of wa­ter in a dry plece, as the shad w of a great rock in a weary land, Isa. 3 [...] 2. and The peace when the Assyrian comes into the land, Mic. 5. 5. And be­ing in him, are we safe, whatever dangers come: [Page 40] happy whatever miseries come, and shall be found in peace whatever troubles come: And what then can we know more, or better than this? or what avails all else we know, unless we know this, That we are in Christ? and when we are in him, then are we fit to meet God indeed, and not till then: for without him, or sever'd from him, we can do nothing; and to such as are out of him, God is as a consuming fire: and what then will such do in the day of visitation, that have not as yet fled to Christ for refuge, and gotten into him? If a man abide not in me, he's cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned, Joh. 15. 6.

2. As we are to meet God in him, united to him by faith; so with him: i. e. God being in­cens'd by our sins, we are, when we go to meet God, to take him along with us, and present him, and make use of him, who is so dearly beloved, and with whom the Father is so well pleased, and in and through whom alone, he comes to be well pleas'd with us; and therefore in our addresses to God, we must be sure not to pass him by, God having made him, to be for us, in things pertain­ing to him, as the Scripture declares. For every high priest taken from among men, is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, &c. Heb. 5. 1. And that he might be a merciful and faithful high­priest, in things pertaining to God, or to be done with God, chap. 2. 17. And we have many things to be done with God, and things of very great concern, and O! what a mercy is it, that we have such a one made, ordained, and appointed for us, as to whatever appertains, and is to be done [Page 41] with God; and among other, this is one main thing, The rendring us, in our addresses to him, acceptable: And being incens'd by our sins, to get him appeas'd, and pacified; and now, Christ as to this, is made, and ordained by God for us; and therefore in our addres­ses to him, as ever we would find acceptance, and have him meet us in mercy, so as to find grace in his sight, we must be sure, as I said, not to pass him by, but take him along with us, and present him, tender him, and make use of him, and to beg os God to look upon us in, and thorow him. As David, Ps. 14. 9, Look up­on the face of thine annointed, i. e. of thy Christ, of thy Messiah, and let me for his sake find acceptance. So Dan. 9. 17, Cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctu­ary that is desolate, for the Lords sake.

Thus if we would meet God so as to pacifie him, we must carry Christ as it were in our Arms, in the arms of our Faith, as old Simeon got him once into his bodily Arms; and then, Lord, says he, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, Luk. 2. 28, 29. And so we shall then meet God in peace; and this is a mystery we should ☞ more study, and get better acquainted with; how in our addresses to God, to make use of Christ. I am, says Christ, the way, &c. and no man cometh to the father, but by me, John 14. 6. Not with acceptance, neither so as to appease, please, and pacifie him, but with me, and by me. In our addresses to God, he says, as it were to us, as Joseph sometimes said to his Brethren, as in reference to their Brother Benjamin: He did solemnly protest unto them, that except he was with them, they should not see his face. And therefore say they to their Father, If thou wilt send our bro­ther [Page 42] with us, we will go down; but if not, we will not go: For the man said unto us, ye shall not see my face except your brother be with you, Gen. 43. 3, 4, 5. And therefore they took Benjamin with them. And vers. 16, When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, bring those men home, and slay, and make ready, for these men shall dine with me, &c. I see they have brought Ben­jamin with them. So unless Jesus Christ be with us in our addresses to God, our elder Brother, there's no seeing Gods face, no finding grace in his sight, favour in his eyes; but if he be with us, then we shall have welcome.

We are bid, What ever we do in word, or deed, to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus: And how much more then so great a thing as this, to meet God in the way of his Judgments? And if we are to give thanks to God by him, much more by him are we to apply our selves, to appease and pacifie him, being incens'd by our sins. And therefore let us be sure so to meet God, 1. As being in Christ, and then 2. with Christ, i. e. so as for acceptation, to present him, tender him, and plead, and press, and urge him, and his me­rits, mediation and satisfaction; and that is the way to meet God to purpose, and to prevail as to what we meet him for: He being the true [...], mercy-seat, or propitiatory, through whom alone the Father is propitious and merciful to such who so meet him. See Exod. 25. 17, 21, 22.

V. With Presents, as Jacob met his incensed Bro­ther Esau, and Abigail David, Gen. 32. 13, 20. 1 Sam. 25. 18. And here the main and principal Present is indeed what I have mentioned already, [Page 43] Jesus Christ: but yet there are other also, which in and thorow him, are very pleasing and delight­ful to God: As 1. A broken and contrite heart, an heart kindly toucht and affected with sin, and afflicted for it: and which in a deep sense of it, and sorrow for it, heartily sighs and longs for the pardon thereof. This is said to be The sacrifices of God, Psal. 51. 17, to denote its singular accept­ableness above all other: None so pleasing as this, nor without this.— But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word, Isa. 66. 2. I have sure­ly heard Ephraim bemoaning himself, &c. Jer. 31. 18. i. e. bewailing his sins. And Josiah's heart being tender, and he humbling himself before God, how pleasing was it to God? Because thy heart was ten­der, and thou didst humble thy self, 2 Chron. 34. 27. And this is mentioned again, to shew how grateful it was. See Psal. 34. 18. Isa. 57. 15. Matt. 5. 3, 4, &c. Such seal to what the Scripture says of sin, that it is no light or slight matter, but an evil and bitter thing, &c. But how few such Presents have we? We have many broken estates, and broken credits, but few broken hearts. Oh! that there were more.

2. A willing and obedient heart, ready in all things to comply with the mind and will of God, yield­ing up it self to him. Lord, what wilt thou have me do? Act. 9. 6. And speak Lord, for thy ser­vant heareth; and I am thy servant, and will do all that thou bidst me. This is very pleasing— Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sa­crifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Be­hold, to obey is better than sacrifice, &c. 1 Sam. [Page 44] 15. 22. In Micah 6, We have a People there ask­ing the question, vers. 6, Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and how my self before the high God? Wherewith shall I meet him, so as to ap­pease him? Shall I come before him with burnt of­ferings? with Calves of a year old? vers. 7, Will the Lord be pleas'd with thousands of Rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oyl, &c? No, Vers. 8, He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? i. e. to obey, and readily comply with him in the duties of both Tables, coucht in those expressions: To be a willing people. Who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? Jer. 30. 21, That hath such an hearty desire, and ready, and willing re­solution to comply with me? This is that which pleases God indeed. But those mine enemies, that would not that I should reign over them, bring hi­ther, and slay them before me, Luk. 19. 27.

3. A sincere and upright heart, For the Lord hath pleasure in uprightness, and the upright in heart are his delight, 1 Chron. 29. 17. Prov. 11. 20. Thou desirest truth in the inward parts, &c. Psal. 51. 6.

4. A merciful compassionate heart towards others in their miseries and necessities, so as to pity them, and to be ready to succour and relieve them, Heb. 13. 16, But to do good, and to communicate, forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. They are acceptable presents, bowels of mercy, kindness. When we go to meet God, What do we go to meet him for, but that we may obtain mercy? And if we would obtain mercy, we must [Page 45] shew mercy: For with the merciful, God will shew himself merciful, Psal. 18. 25. And they shall ob­tain mercy, Matt. 5. 7. But he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy, Jam. 2. 13. When Gods judgments were denounc'd against Nebuchadnezzar, that yet there might be a length­ening of his tranquility, Daniel counsels him, to break of his sins by righteousness, and his iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor, Dan. 4. 27. And this is said to be the fast God hath chosen; Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out, to thy house; when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thy self from thy own flesh? And then shall thy light break forth as the morning, &c. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say here I am, &c. Isa. 58. 6, 7, &c. Our shewing mercy to others, and therein imitating God in his own goodness and kindness, though it be not the cause, yet is it a comfort­able pledg and evidence of our finding mercy with God our selves. The Lord give mercy to the house of Onesephorus, for he oft refreshed me, &c. 2 Tim. 1. 16. And the gratefulness of this to God, appears from the many, exceeding, great, and pre­cious promises that are made unto it, see Psal. 41. 1, 2, &c. 112. 5, 6, 7, 8. Prov. 11. 25. 19, 17, &c. And that of all other evidences of Faith, this is that especially which Jesus Christ will take cog­nizance of at the last day. Come ye blessed, &c. for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat, &c. Matt. 25. 34, 35, &c. And therefore the loss of such is very sad, That merciful men, men of kind­ness are taken away, Isa. 57. 1. And the good man [Page 46] is perished out of the earth, Micah. 7. 2. Such as for whom, some would even dare to dye, Rom. 5. 7.

VI. By extraordinary fasting, afflicting, and hum­bling our selves before the Lord. And this the Lord doth in a special manner, in such a day call for, and invite unto. As in Joel, God was there in the way of his judgments: And sanctifie ye (says he) a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders, and all the inhabitants of the land, unto the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord: Alas! for the day, the day of the Lord is at hand, &c. And so Joel 2. 15, Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctifie a fast, call a solemn assembly, &c. And thus we find his people still have done, when God hath been in the way of his judgments. See 1 Sam. 7. 5, 6. 2 Chron. 20. 3, &c. And thus the very Ninevites did; They believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Niniveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, &c. and caused it to be proclaimed and published thorow Nineveh (by the Decree of the King and his Nobles) Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, tast any thing; let them not feed nor drink water, &c. Jonah 3. 5, 6, 7, 8,—And O that the Lord would put it into the heart of our king, and into the hearts of our Nobles, to decree, and cause it to be proclaim'd, that in such a way we might all meet the Lord, by fasting, afflicting, and humbling our selves be­fore him: And certainly in such a day, for people to be still feasting and making merry, what is it [Page 47] but to walk quite contrary to God, and in a di­rect opposition to what he is doing, and calling for, which much provokes him, and which there­fore he severely threatens. And in that day did the Lord of hosts call to weeping, &c. Isa. 22. 13, 14. What day was this? You may see, Isa. 22. 5, A day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity, by the Lord God of Hosts, in the valley of Vision, &c. And then did the Lord God of Hosts, call to weeping, &c. But behold, joy and gladnefs, slaying oxen, and killing sheep; eating flesh, and drinking wine. Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall dye. And Vers. 14, It was re­vealed in mine ears, by the Lord of Hosts, surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye dye, saith the Lord God of hosts. And wo to them that are at ease in Sion, &c. that put far away the evil day, that drink wine in bowls, &c. Amos 1. 3, 6, &c.

CHAP. IV. The Reasons why we are thus to meet God.

1. BEcause the great God commands it, as. here, and so after elsewhere; yea, and dictates withal the way and manner thereof, as Hos. 14. 1, 2. O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God: for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord, say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously. And 2 Chron. 7. 14, The Lord there prescribes the very plat­form thereof, If (says he) they shall humble them­selves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, &c. and Isa. 27. 4, 5, Fury is not in me: who would set the briars and thorns a­gainst me in battel, I would go through them, I would burn them together. But he gives them better advice, i. e. to make peace with him, and directs them the way, Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me. And now God com­manding us to do this, and directing us withall how to do it, surely this sufficiently declares it to be our duty and concern both: And not to do it, What is it, but disobedience to God, and a kind of slighting and despising of his So­veraignty and Authority?

2. He expects it— In their affliction they will seek me early, Hos. 5. 15. And when thy judg­ments [Page 49] are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness, Isa. 26. 9. However they neglected to do it before, he expects, and looks they should do it then: And therefore is it then in a special manner their duty to do it.

3. Others formerly have done it: How often did Moses thus meet the Lord, when incens'd against Israel? He stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them, Psal. 106. 23. Thus Samuel and all Israel met him, 1 Sam. 7. 5, 6. Jehoshaphat and all Judah, 2 Chron. 20. 3. ▪ Ye the Ninevites, Jo­nah 3. 5, 6, 7. And it was not without success: And surely what others have in such a case done formerly, it is no less our duty and concern to do now.

4. Because when God is in that way, our great work and business is, and lies with him; he being the great Agent, and Efficient in all judgments felt or feared, threatned or inflicted. I (says the Lord) form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I the Lord do all these things, Isa. 45. 7. And, Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places, Psal. 35. 6. And so he does still, at home and abroad, by Sea and by Land: There is a wheel in the middle of the wheels, as Ezekiel saw, Chap. 1. 16, which as the Spring in a Watch, orders and sets a going all the other; and ac­cording to the motion of that, (which is Gods se­cret, Divine Providence) so are all motions regu­lated and ordered, and all things are, and shall be as he will, who worketh all things after the coun­sel of his own will, Ephes. 1. 11. Who is he that [Page 50] saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord command­eth it not? Lam. 3. 37.

And therefore our great work and business is (as I say) with him, more than with Men, with creatures, instruments. And therefore it is our great duty and concern, to have recourse to him, to say, as the people of God of old, Come and let us return unto the Lord, for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up, Hos. 6. 1. And let us lift up our hearts, with our hands, unto God in the Heavens, Lam. 3. 41. Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, &c. Isa. 26. 16. Thus when Absoloms servants had set Joabs Barley on fire, he goes not to the servants, but to Absolom; so Abigail hastens to David, Ben­hadad's servants to the King of Israel, they of Tire and Sidon to Herod, and so should we to God.— Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel; as Eliphaz counsel'd, Job 5. 8, I would seek unto God, and un­to God would I commit my cause: And indeed we cannot do better. Whither should we go else? Thus Moses, when Israel by their sin had incens'd the Lord, Now, says he, I will go up unto the Lord, Exod. 32. 30. And it is best for us all to do so, And hither we call and invite you, as the Pro­phets of old, They called them to the most high, Hos. 11. 7. So do we: And when we have but once overcome him, appeas'd him, and gotten him our friend, our work is done: When he is at peace, all's at peace. When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? &c. Job 34. 29. Then (says Eliphaz) shalt thou be in league with the stones of the field: and the beast of the field shall be at peace with thee, Job 5. 23. Tranquillus Deus tran­quillat [Page 51] omnia, If God be for us, who can be against us? Rom. 8. 31.

5. Because when God is in such a way, he is wroth; and surely when he is so, it is our great duty and concern to labour all we can to appease him, as Moses still did. And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord why does thy wrath wax hot against thy people, &c. Exod. 32. 11, 12, 13. And how earnest is he, and how many arguments doth he make use of for the appeasing of it? Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City, and the people not be afraid, &c? The Lion hath roared, who will not fear? Amos 3. 6, 8. i. e. God hath made known his anger, and his anger is formidable and dread­ful, as the Scripture every where sets it forth. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. And who knoweth the pow­er of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath, Psal. 90. 7, 11. How dreadfully does the Prophet Nahum set it forth? Nahum 1. 6, Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him, whether it be done against a nation or a man on­ly? Job 34. 29.— And ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little, Psal. 2. 12. The kings wrath, says Solomon, is as the roaring of a Lyon, and as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacifie it, Prov. 19. 12, 16, 14. What is the wrath then of the great God? And will it not be our wisdom to pacifie it? Scornful men bring a City into a snare, but wise men turn away wrath, Prov. 29. 8. We find Act. 12. 20, that Herod [Page 52] was highly displeas'd with them of Tire and Sidon, or bore an Hostil mind towards them, and intend­ed War against them; and what did they? It is said, but they came with one accord to him, and ha­ving made Blastus the kings chamber lain their friend, desired peace, because their country was nourished by the kings country. They could not abide his displeasure, neither could they subsist without peace had with him. And the great God being highly displeas'd with us, shall not we much more with one accord, having made Jesus our friend, desire Peace. For is not his displeasure far more dreadful and formidable than Herods? And is not our Country nourished by his, our Country here below, by that better and heavenly Country a­bove? And can a man receive any thing, unless it be given him from Heaven? Joh. 3. 27. Are we not continually sustain'd by him? And can we possibly subsist a moment without him? And we by our sins having incens'd his wrath, surely there's all the reason we should seek to appease it. Shall we not labour to quench the fire which our selves have kindled? And to allay the storms which we our selves have rais'd, &c?

6. Because unless we meet him, he will certainly go on to do as he hath threatned. As David told Abigail, That unless she had hasted to come to meet him, he had done as he had said, 1 Sam. 25. 39. And so will God, as he did to Jerusalem, And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedg, and stand in the gap before me for the land, but I found none. And what then? It follows, Therefore have I poured out my indig­nation upon them; I have consumed them with the [Page 53] fire of my wrath, &c. I have executed what I threat­ned, Ezek. 22. 30, 31. And that is very observa­ble to this purpose, Zach. 1. 5, 6, Your fathers, says the Lord, where are they? and the Prophets, do they live for ever? No, they were dead, and gone, but my words, did they not take hold of them? did they dye with them? No, not turning to the Lord, they took hold of them, And they returned, and said, like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us according to our ways and doings; so hath he dealth with us; So Lam. 2. 17. And it being thus, the Lord wonders that there should be no intercessor: As if some formidable enemy was coming against a Place, whom there was no opposing by force, but good probability of appeasing by an humble ad­dress; would it not be matter of wonder if none should do this! one would think all should do it, when else inevitable ruine must ensue. And did people but believe this, and seriously weigh and consider this, it would be a special means to put them upon this great duty. As the people of Ni­neveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, &c. Jo­nah 3. 5. But the not believing nor considering of this, makes sinners careless and heedless, and so to expose themselves and the Nation to inevitable ruine.

CHAP. V. The Application of the point: and 1. By may of Reprehension.

WHen God is in the way of his judgments, is it his peoples great duty and concern to meet him? Then here's matter of just re­proof to Two sorts of People:

1. To such who are so far from meeting God, in the way of his Judgments, that they scarce ever so much as mind or regard him; but let him do what he will, they care not; they mind the World, and their interests and concerns there on the Earth, but never regard what heaven doth. As the Duke of Alva once told the King of France, when he had asked him, whether he had observ'd the late great Eclipse, in the Heavens? No, said he, I have too much to do on Earth, to mind the Heavens. And how many such are there, who Gallia like, care for none of those things? They are so far from meeting God, so as to stay his hand, that they will not so much as see, or once take notice of his hand. As the Lord complains of those, Isa. 26. 11, Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see, &c. And of Ephraim, Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not; yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not, Hos. 7. 9. That is, he hath no sense of it, neither does he mind or regard it, or lay [Page 55] it to heart. And how many such sottish, sense­less, stupid souls are there among us, who regard not the works of the Lord, nor consider the operation of his hands, but are setled on their lees, and secure, and put far away the evil day? But wo (says the Lord) to them that are at ease in Sion, that put far away the evil day, Amos 6. 1, 3. And because they re­gard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up, Psal. 28. 5. See Isa. 5. 11, 12.

2. To those who instead of meeting God in the way of his judgments, so as to appease him; do rather by going on still in their sins, more and more provoke him: and instead of endeavouring to quench the fire themselves have kindled, do ra­ther add more suel to it. Who say in effect as those Jer. 18. 12, There is no hope, but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. And come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill our selves with strong drink, and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant, Isa. 56. 12. And let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall dye, Isa. 22. 13. Thus they spake in a scoffing way. The Pro­phet tells us we have not long to live, we shall soon be slain; and therefore let us be jovial while we may. O! the daring-impudence of sinners! Solomon says, The wrath of a king is as messengers of death, but a wise man will pacifie it. What Fools and Bedlams are those then, who still more and more provoke the wrath of the great God, who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, who cuts off the spirit of Princes, and is terrible to the kings of the earth? Psal. 76. 12. And yet how ma­ny [Page 56] such are there, who having troden down the hedg, and opened the gap, are so far from making it up again, that they more and more widen it? And instead of endeavouring to put a stop to Gods judgments, do rather more hasten them? And how justly are such to be reprov'd as enemies, not only to themselves, and to their own souls; but to the Nation, to Church and State, to King and King­dom? For these take the ready way to undo all. As Samuel told Israel, But if ye shall still do wick­edly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your King, 1 Sam. 12. 15.

II. By way of Exhortation. When God is in the way of his Judgments, is it his peoples great duty and concern to meet him; as hath a­bundantly been made good? Then God being, and still continuing and going on in that way, let us all in the name aad fear of God, set our selves to that, which is so much our duty and con­cern, as indeed there is nothing more; I mean to meet him in the way of his Judgments: and let us meet him aright; and as we have had it made out unto us, and set before us, with preparation, by prayers and supplications, and those aright qua­lifi'd; by true repentance and conversion; in, and with a Mediator, even that One, and only Medi­ator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, whom God hath made for us, in things pertain­ing to him, or to be done with him. With Pre­sents; such as in, and through Christ the chief Present of all, are pleasing to God: as of a bro­ken and contrite heart: a willing and ob dient heart: a sincere and upright heart: a merciful and com­passionate heart towards others in their miseries [Page 57] and necessities: For we go to God for merey for our selves, and the Nation; and we should then shew mercy to others. And lastly, by ex­traordinary Fasting, Afflicting, and Humbling our selves before the Lord: And thus let us answer the Lords call here in the Text—And because I will do this prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. And surely after all the Judgments which the great God hath inflicted on us, he hath as great cause to complain of Englands incorrigibleness, as here of Israel's, Yet have ye not returned un­to me, saith the Lord: and therefore may justly resolve, as here concerning Israel, Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O England. Truly what the Lord will do, I know not, neither am I able to say: what he hath done a-late, we see he hath broken out against us again, by several Fires, and dreadful Flames, not only in the City, but in se­veral places in the Country: He hath called Home several of his Ambassadors a-late, taken a­way several of his Ministers (two in one day), and others of his choice Servants, and that very suddenly; such as should make up the hedg, and stand in the gap before the Lord for the Land, that he may not destroy it: which though little considered and laid to heart, bodes very ill; and is one of those gray-hairs which are here and there upon us: we may fear it is even night when the Lord gets his Children so fast to bed; and that the storm is very near, when he ga­thers and houses so fast his corn: our Fathers, the Chariots of our Israel and the Horse-men thereof, go off a-pace, and we shall see them no more here, 2 Kings 2. 9. This now, and a great [Page 58] deal more the Lord hath done a-late; but what he's yet about farther to do, who can tell? But we have great cause to fear he may do worse, and deal severelier with us, than ever yet he hath done: For we turn not (as least very few of us) to him that hath so often smitten us; neither, as we ought, do we seek the Lord of Hosts: And therefore how justly might he bring final ruin upon us: and cut off head and tayl, branch and rush, in one day, as he threatens, Isa. 9. 12, 13, 14. And there­fore, that if possible we may yet prevent this, let us do as we are here admonished, meet God, so as to appease and pacify him, and make up the breach, and take up the controversy be­tween him and us; that so God may be aton'd, and reconciliation made. The Lord sends his Judgments as his troops against us, and there's no fighting, or frighting them away; but our way is to Pray them away, to Repent them a­way, to Fast them away; there's no raising the Siege by opposition, but by humble submission; no raising it by force, but by an humble fall­ing down at his feet: to which let us all address our selves.

CHAP. VI. And now in the farther prosecution of this Ʋse, I shall only do these Two things, 1. Propound some Directions for the better managing of what we do: and then, 2. Some Motives, the more to pre­vail with us to do it.

Direct. 1. LET us do what we do Joyntly: U­nite our forces together, and be­siege, as it were, the Throne of Grace: Gather your selves together, yea, gather together O Nation not desir'd, Zeph. 2. 1: as it is said of those of Tyre and Sidon, that Herod being highly displea­sed with them, they came with one accord to him, Acts 12. 20, so let us to God, it being every ones concern; and that which tends to the weal of all: and the more here, the better; and like­lier to prevail. And thus we find the people of God have done formerly: It is said of Judah, that they gathered themselves together: and out of all the Cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives and their children, &c. 2 Chron. 20. 4, 13, and Ezra 10. 9, Then all the men of Judah, and Benjamin gathered themselves together, &c. We have all one way or other help'd to kindle Gods wrath; and we should all therefore joyn together in labouring to quench it: We have all help'd to break down the hedg, and we should [Page 60] all help to make ir up; we have all help'd to o­pen the gap, and we should all stand in it. And this the Lord calls for: Joel 2. 14, Call a solemn assembly, gather the Elders, and all the Inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord, &c. So Chap. 2. 15, Blow the trumpet in Sion, sanctifie a Fast, and call a solemn assembly: ver. 16, Gather the people, assemble the Elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breast. This was the more to affect the parents, and stir them up to Re­pentance: those poor infants being like to suf­fer no small share in that common Calamity, caused by the sins of their Parents, &c. Shall a trumpet be blown in the City, and the people not be afraid; or, as it is in the Margent, run together? Come and let us return unto the Lord, else all are like to share in the Judgment: See Isa. 24. 1, 2 - 9. 14, &c.

Direct. 2. Speedily, without farther delaies. For the matter is of too great moment and importance to admit thereof: there's no de­murring in such cases. Gather your selves toge­ther, &c. before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, &c. Zeph. 2. 1, 2. Thus when Abigail went to meet David, it is said, She made haste, and except (says he) thou hadst hasted, &c. 1 Sam. 25. 18, 34. And thus he that with ten thousand, went to meet him that came a­gainst him with twenty thousand, while the other was yet a great way off, he sends an Ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace, Luke 14. 31, 32. And when wrath was gone out from the Lord a­gainst Israel, it was Moses his counsel to Aaron, to go quickly to the congregation, and make attone­ment [Page 61] for them: and it is said, he ran: necessary things fall not under deliberation, but require present expedition: and this the Lord still puts us upon, as to this great work, That we do, what we do, now, quickly: Therefore also now, says the Lord, Turn ye even to me, &c. Joel 2. 12. And return ye now every one from his evil way, &c. Jer. 18. 11. Today, if ye will hear his voice—Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him, Mat. 5. 25. Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is neer, Isa. 55. 6. And give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, &c. Jer. 13. 16—And if ye will enquire, enquire ye, i. e. speedily, there is danger in delaies. Boast not thy self of to morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth, Prov. 27. 1. And there­fore when the Lord gives us signs and alarms of war, we are to hasten to meet him, and make our peace with him, lest putting it off, it prove too late. Our Repentance must not only be true and thorough, but speedy and timely: say we then as those: Zeph. 8. 21, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of Hosts: I will go also. It is too late to think of a treaty, or to call for a parley, when the bat­tel is joyn'd, and Drums are beating, and Trum­pets sounding: So when Judgments are actually come upon us, and have taken hold of us: Or if we yet should have peace, we may smart sound­ly, and pay dearly, before we have it: and there­fore do we speedily, what we do.

Direct. 3. Very humbly, and self-abasingly. For God loves to see the creature stoop and [Page 62] lye low before him: He putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope, Lam. 3. 29. And therefore in our addresses to God, being incens'd by our sins, we should go clothed with humility: that should be the wear and garb we meet him in; our frame should be such as Abraham's of old, when he made intercession for Sodom: Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes, Gen. 18. 27. As Jacobs, I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast shewed to thy servant, &c. Gen. 32. 10. As Jobs, Behold I am vile,—and I abhor my self in dust and ashes, Job 40. 4. and 42. 6. As Daniels, And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplication, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes, Dan. 9. 3. Thus we should meet the Lord, as I hinted before, as Jacob met his in­censed Brother Esau: He bowed himself seven times to the ground. As Abigail David, She fell before him on her face, and bowed her self to the ground, and fell at his feet. As Benhadads Ser­vants the King of Israel, with sackcloth on their loyns, and roaps on their heads. As the Prodigal his Father— and am no more worthy to be called thy Son, make me as one of thy hired servants. And God being angry, and in the way of his Judgments, this is a postu [...]e very sutable and acceptable to God, that when he is humbling us, we should be humble; and that when he is laying us low, we should be lowly. If my people which are called by my name, shall humble them­selves, &c. 2 Chron. 7. 14 And if their uncir­cumcised hearts be humbled, and they accept of the [Page 63] punishment of their iniquity, &c. Lam. 26. 4. He resisteth the proud, but gives grace to the humble, 1 Pet. 5. 5. And Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble, Psal. 10. 17. And, he shall save the humble person, Job 22. 29. So that it is both our duty and security to humble our selves, especi­ally when God is humbling us. Ahab doing this, though but Hopocritically, yet the Lord refpited the evil in his days, 1 Kings 21. 29. Seest thou, says the Lord to Elijah, how Ahab humbleth him­self before me? (this was but in outward appear­ance) because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days, &c. But how ac­ceptable then is the hearty humiliatinn of a true penitent? And according to what appears of this, it bodes good or ill to a Nation. When the Lord had manifested his displeasure against that people, Exod. 33. 5: It is very observable what the Lord there fays to them, Put off, says he, thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. But does not God know what to do to a people, and what he will do with them? Yes, but his displeasure appearing against this people, he speaks as one unrefolv'd, either for sparing, or destroying: and as willing to be determin'd, as he found their posture and de­meanour to be: As if he had said, If thou do indeed humble thy self, and repent, I will shew thee mercy; but if thou still persist in thy pride, and impenitency, I will execute my Judgments upon thee: So that by what a people are, as to this, they may guess and conclude how it is like to be with them, and what God will do to them: and if so, how sad may we judg it is like to be [Page 64] with England, with London! For do we put off our ornaments, lay down our pride? nothing less: for was there ever more? does it not testifie to our faces? is it not visible and apparent? And that even now, when God goes on still to testifie his displeasure against us, as he hath severely a-late; verily we so carry it, as if we would not be humbled, though God humble us; nor lye low, though he lay us low: and the Lord forgive it to us Ministers, that we do no more reprove it in our Assemblies, which some sadly resent: tra­ding indeed is low, and mens estates low, but we carry it as high, or higher than ever: God says to us, as to Pharoah, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thy self before me? Exod. 10. 3. I have laid your health low, your strength low, many of your lives low, your City low, your houses low, your estates low, your trading low: O! when shall your hearts be humbled and laid low? certainly if we do not humble our selves and lye low, God will yet lay us lower.

Direct. 4. Doing what we do very humbly, Let it be yet Hopefully; Self-abasingly, but not disparingly: As Shechaniah said to Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, &c. yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing, Ezra 10. 2. And who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? &c. Jonah 3. 9. And the Lord does here in the very words themselves so express himself, as yet to in­courage his people. For 1st, he names Israel twice here, O Israel, and again, O Israel; as a name that had been, and still was very dear to him; as David, because Absalom was dear to him, he [Page 65] names his name thrice: O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom, &c. 2 Sam. 18 33. 2dly, He says, Thy God to shew the Covenant still con­tinued firm, if they did but repent, and all to keep up hope, and that his people might catch thereat; as it is said the servants of Benhadad did diligently observe whether any thing would come from the King of Israel, and did hastily catch it, 1 Kings 20. 33. Oh our iniquities are in­deed great, exceeding great; and are increased over our heads, and our trespasses are grown up unto the heavens, Ezra 9. 6. But Gods mercy is great, not only to the heavens, but above the heavens; and many and great both, are his tender mercies: And as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways and thoughts higher than ours, Psal. 108. 4. And he delighteth in mercy. It was part of the Lords Name which he proclaimed before Moses, The Lord God, gracious and merciful, a­bundant in goodness, forgiving iniquity, and trans­gression and sin, &c. Exod. 34. 6, 7. And, Let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption: And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities, Psal. 130. 7, 8. And the Lord likes well of this, that his people humbling and abasing themselves, should yet hope in his merey, and not despair; the Lords eye is said to be upon them that fear him, and withal, hope in his mercy; yea, he is said to take pleasure in such, Psal. 33. 18. and 147. 11. Ex­pecting all from it, and encouraging themselves in it; which is so great, and withal so free.

Direct. 5. Perseveringly, unweariedly, resolving to persist in our suits, till we prevail, as the Saints of old: [Page 66] I will not, says Jacob, let thee go except thou bless me, Gen. 32. 26. The Lord bids Moses, Let him alone, and offers him fair, that he would make of him a great nation, Exod. 32. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. But that would not take him off, but he still be­sought the Lord his God, and prevailed: we should resolve as the Prophet, Isaiah 62. 1, For Sions sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jeru­salems sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And ver. 6, 7, I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: And ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence: And give him no rest till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. As it is said of the Macedonians, that Alexander be­ing displeas'd with them, they not only laid by their Arms, and put on mourning apparel, and came running in troops to his Tent, but there con­tinued for near three days together, beseeching his pardon, till they obtain'd it. And God for­bid that we should sin against the Lord, in ceasing still to pray for England, for London, &c. but strive together in our prayers still for them, with all perseverance: and this the Lord is well plea­sed with; we never give him more rest, than when in this sense we give him least: when we still pray, and do not faint, but follow on with our prayers till we prevail.

Direct. 6. and last, That we may Effectually do what we do, and make peace, Let us take hold of the Lords strength, as himself advises us, Isa. 27. 5, which I hinted before, but now [Page 67] shall open and explain: or let him take hold of my strength, i. e. (as some) of my self, who is called the strength of Israel, 1 Sam. 15. 29, and in this sense it suits with that of, Isa. 64. 7, And there is none that calls upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee, i. e. either to keep thee back from going on still in thy Judiciary proceedings, or to keep thee, that thou dost not depart from us. And thus we should in an humble submissive way take hold as it were of the Lord, or his arm, that he does not still go on to smite, or that he do not depart: for wo to us if he depart from us; it is the very sum and completion of mans misery, for God to depart as to his special and gracious presence.

Or 2dly, Of my strength, i. e. of my grace, and the help and assistance of my Spirit; as his strength and sufficiency, to this great work, with­out which he cannot as in reference thereunto do any thing: and taking strength in this sense, then we may be said to take hold of it, when we hum­bly and earnestly beg, and intreat it; and as our sufficiency, hold to it, and rely on it; to fit and qualifie us to make peace with God, by working in us Faith and Repentance.

To oppose the strength of God, is indeed dan­gerous; but thus in an humble way, by Prayer and Faith to lay hold on the Lords strength, as our strength, so as to make peace with him, it is both our duty and advantage, and it may be read, or let him take hold, in, or with my strength, i. e. my help and assistance: Some read it, let him be strong in my strength: and we cannot indeed be strong, but in the Lord, and in the power of his might, Eph. 6. 10.

[Page 68]Or 3dly, By the Lords strength, We may un­derstand, the Lords Christ, and the riches of his Grace and Mercy, in and through him, who is called, as the Wisdom, so also the Power, or Strength of God, 2 Cor. 21. 24. The Lords strength to pardon, and save sinners, lies in his mercy and grace, and that grace and mercy is in and through his Son, and in and through his Merits, Medi­ation, Satisfaction and Intercession; by which he is impowered and strengthned thereto, without any [...] of his Justice. And therefore that we may make peace with God, we must in this sense take hold of his strength, i. e. of his Christ, and of his grace and mercy in and through him: and this we take hold of by believing: and when up­on any breach made between God and us, we apply our selves to God in and through him, and plead and urge him, (as I hinted before) and his Merits, Mediation, Satisfaction and Intercession, and wholly, and only gro [...]nd our hopes thereon: And O! what goodness, and condescention is this in the great God, that whereas he might tram­ple upon sinners, he should thus treat them, and bespeak them, and advise them, or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me! &c. Let heaven and earth, Angels and men, admire and adore this goodness, and wonder­ful condescention of the great God! and how shall we escape, if we refuse to hearken to him, thus graciously and condescendingly advising us what to do, as to that wherein we are so infinitely con­cern'd!

CHAP. VII. The Motives.

THE relation we stand in to God, Motive 1. And this God himself here urges,— Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel: He is thy God; and it is as if God had said, I have not as yet utterly rejected thee, [...]or cast thee off; nei­ther is my Covenant with thee quite disannul'd and made void, though thou hast sadly Aposta­tiz'd from me: and therefore being yet thy God, let this prevail with thee to meet me; for should not Israel meet his God? and being angry, make his peace with him, and be ashamed to con­tinue any longer incorrigible under his hand? The Prodigal Son, as soon as ever he came to him­self, resolves, I will arise and go to my Father, Luk. 15. 17, 18. It is my Father, and should not children go to their Father? a people to their God? and this Argument the Lord often makes use of elsewhere: O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God, &c. Hosea 14. 1, And, return ye back: sliding children, Jer. 3. 22, 23. And shall not our hearts eccho back again, as theirs did, Behold we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God. Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. And what indeed more beseems a people, than to meet their God, and being angry, to seek to [Page 70] appease him, especially others going on still by their sins more and more to provoke him? and that they at least should labour to quench his wrath, and save the Nation, whiles others go on more and more to incense it, and destroy the Nation?

Mot. 2. The consideration of Gods infinite Power, Might, Majesty and Greatness: Which are here in several clear and perspicuous demonstrations, most notably and magnificently described and set forth, and with a great deal of State and Solemnity displai'd; and all the more to affect and move our dull and stupid spirits: and indeed it is one of the Stateliest and most Magnificent Descrip­tions of God, that we find in all Holy Writ: For lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought: that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth: the Lord, the God of Hosts is his Name. And it is as if the Lord had said, And if my Mercy cannot move thee, let at least my Majesty; if not my Goodness, my infinite Power and Greatness, who am he that formeth the mountains, &c.

And now these glorious Titles and Attributes which the Lord here Assumes to himself, being here on purpose brought in, the more to put us upon this great work, that they may the more awaken us, and influence us to so good a work, I shall a little open and explain each of them in order as they lye: and this is all I shall do at present, in reference to this 13 ver.

1. He formeth the mountains: Those huge, high [Page 71] and massy bodies; indeed he forms all things, the meanest, Jer. 10. 16, and the mountains also; yea, he is said, To weigh the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance, Isa. 40. 12, i. e. he can turn them which way he will, or overturn them as easily as we do the smallest matters which we weigh in scales, and put in, or take out of the balance as we please: O quam magna & tremenda vertus Dei! O how great and tremen­dous is the power of God!

2. He createth the wind, That strong and boist­rous creature, and which though invisible, and not conspicuous as the mountains are, has, and does do such strange executions both by Sea and Land, breaking the Rocks, tearing the mountains, for­cing up Trees by the roots, and tossing the mighti­est Ships as a Tennis-ball: and this God creates, brings out of his Treasuries, raises, stills, quiets, and orders as he pleases, Psal. 135. 7, and 107. 25. Some render it the spirit or soul, which he alone in a special manner forms, and has command and power over, as well as over the body,— and for­meth the spirit of man within him, Zach. 12. 1. And hence he is said to be in a special manner the God of the spirits of all flesh, Num. 16. 22. And the Father of spirits, Heb. 12. 9.

3. He declares unto man what is his thought: 1st, He knows what is his thought, what is in man; and needs not that any should testifie of him: He searcheth the heart, and trieth the reins, Jer. 17. 10. And all things are naked and open to him, Heb. 4. 13. 2dly, He declares to man, namely, by his word, and by awakening his Consci­ence, what is his thought. The fool hath said in his [Page 72] heart, there is no God, &c. Psal. 14. 1. Their in­ward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever, &c. The world lies nearest their hearts,— Thou thoughtest I was altogether such a one as thy self, &c. Psal. 50. 21. And with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goes after their co­vetousness, Ezek. 33. 31. Thus the Lord declares to man his thought: He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death, Job 12. 22. And therefore there's no hi­ding any thing from him: Some refer this to God,—what is his own thought; he by his Spirit makes known to man his mind.

4. He maketh the morning darkness, i. e. say some, the night to succeed the day, and darkness the light; and hence the day and night are said to be his, Psal. 74. 16. Naturae ordinem gubernat & distincte vices temporum inter se distribuit, He governs the order of nature▪ and distinctions of times, &c. or he makes the brightest morning, all on a sudden darkness, by covering the Hea­vens with Clouds, and drawing them as a Curtain or Canopy between us and the light: Thus he cloaths the heavens with blackness, and makes sack­cloth their covering, Isa. 50. 3. Or we may under­stand this in a figurative metaphorical sense, He maketh the morning darkness, i. e. the comfort there­of, disconsolateness; turns its joy into sorrow, its mirth into mourning; as he threatneth, Amos 8. 9, &c. That he would cause the sun to go down at noon, and darken the earth in the clear day; that he would turn their feasts into mourning, and their songs to lamentation, &c. Thus he over­threw Sodom and Gomorrah, he made the morning [Page 73] darkness: They had a lightsom morning, The sun, it is said, rose upon the earth, Gen. 19. 23. But what dismal darkness did the Lord soon make that morning? And how often, and how many of our mornings has the Lord thus in this sense made darkness? What darkness in a spiritual sense, did he make our morning, when the sun went down o­ver so many Prophets at once, and the day became dark over them? And for God, so to make the morning darkness, is exceeding sad indeed! So in time of the Plague; How did the Lord then make mornings darkness, many having their dear Relations well, it may be, over night, but dead in the morning? Yea, what by reason of continual fears, frights, mournful sounds and sights, how was every morning then (as it were) made dark­ness, and afforded matter of mourning? So when that dreadful Fire brake forth, Sept. 2.—66, What darkness did the Lord make that morning, and several other after? Light they were in­deed, in regard of Fire and Flames; but dark in regard of trouble and distress; a morning never to be forgotten: And so a-late in Southwark, and Warwick-lane, &c. And it is of the Lords mercies, and because his compassions fail not, that every morning is not made darkness. And therefore let none presume, nor be secure, as to their mornings, for God can soon make them darkness, though never so light and bright at present. I was at ease, says Job, but he hath broken me asunder, &c. Job 16▪ 12. And David, In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved; but thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled, Psal. 30. 67. The watchman said, the morning cometh, and also the night, Isa. [Page 74] 21. 12. And give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stum­ble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness, Jer. 13. 16. Jonah was exceed­ing glad of the Gourd, but a worm when the morn­ing rose, smote the Gourd and it withered, Jonah 4. 67. Some read the words, he maketh the morning, and darkness, i. e. prosperity and ad­versity, according to that, Isa. 45. 7, I form the light and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil, &c. Hence, says Solomon, In the day of prospe­rity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider, Eccles. 7. 14. What should we consider? That both are of God: for it follows, God also hath set the one over against the other; and so should we, both being from him, and therefore we should take both well, and bear the latter patiently, as well as entertain the other comfortably; especially, we deserving more than all the evil we suffer, but never deserving the least of the good we receive.

5. He treadeth upon the high places of the earth, i. e. Those high places and precipices of the earth that are so far above our heads, are under his feet; he treads upon them, as being himself most high, exalted far above all: Or as some read it, He treads down the heights of the earth. 1. The high­est places of the earth: The highest and strongest Edifices, Castles, Towers, Steeples, as in this City. He brought down them that dwelt on high, the lofty City he laid it low, he laid it low even to the ground; even the highest and most towring places thereof: So Garnsey Castle, &c. The very rocks are thrown down by him, Nahum 1. 6. 2. He treads down the [Page 75] highest powers, rules, and dominions of the earth' with all their splendour, grandeur and glory. Dominion and fear are with him, Job 25. 2. He rules in the kingdoms of men, and gives them to whom he will: he putteth down one, and setteth up another, Psal. 75. 7. His is the kingdom, power, glory, victory, majesty, greatness. He is exalted as head above all, and reigns over all. I will cause, says he, the kingdom of Israel to cease, Hos. 1. 4. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a na­tion, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it, &c. Jer. 18. 7. 3. He treadeth down the highest persons of the earth, He comes upon princes as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay: he bringeth princes to nothing, he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity, Isa. 40. 23. He cuts off the spirit of Princes, he is ter­rible to the Kings of the earth, Psal. 76. 12. Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes, Psal. 119. 118, 119, though never so mighty. And therefore be m [...]n never so great, Conterens superbos. Grotius. or high, this cannot secure them, nor set them out of his reach, who treads upon, and treads down the highest pla­ces, powers, and persons of the earth. And those that walk in pride, he is able to abase, as Nebuchad­nezzar acknowledged, Dan. 4. 37, Yea, And in the thing wherein they deal proudly, to be above them, Exod. 18. 11. The loftiness of men he boweth down, and the haughtiness of men he makes low: He tells Edom, Obad. 3. 4, The pride of his heart had de­ceived him, that dwelt in the clefts of the rock, and whose habitation was high, that said in his heart, who shall bring me down to the ground? But says [Page 76] God, Though thou exalt thy self as the Eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, yet thence will I bring thee down. And it is said of the wick­ed, Though his exeellency mount up to the Heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; yet he shall pe­rish for ever, like his own dung, &c. Job 20. 67. And thus he treadeth down the heights of the earth, and is most high for evermore, Psal. 92. 8. There are high, and higher then they; but God is high­est of all, higher than the highest, Eccles. 5. 8. than the Heavens, yea, the highest Angels in Hea­ven. And hence he is said, Psal. 113. 4, 5, 6, to humble himself, to behold even the things that are in Heaven.

6. He that does all this, the Lord, the God of hosts is his name. 1. The Lord Jehovah, which denotes, 1. His Self-existency, that he hath his Be­ing of, and from himself, and gives being to all his creatures. And 2. His eternity, that he is everlasting.

2. The God of Hosts: All the creatures in Hea­ven and Earth, being (as it were) his Hosts, un­der his power, and at his beck and command, as Soldiers under their General, to order, dispose, and imploy, as he pleases: And he has his Hosts above, and beneath, Coelestial, and Terrestrial: And being such a God as before he is described, He that formeth the mountains▪ &c. A God of such infinite power, he can muster them up when, and as he pleases, and make them do what exe­cution he will. And this is a Title often in Scrip­ture given to God: we have it thrice in one Verse, Zach. 1. 3, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, turn ye unto me saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn un­to [Page 77] you, saith the Lord of hosts: which shews there is much in this, to move us to turn to him: For he being The Lord, the God of hosts; if we do so indeed, he is every way able to save us, and do us good: but if we do not, to punish and destroy us. The Lord, the God of hosts is his name.

And shall not all this now prevail with us, to prepare to meet this God, who doth all this, who formeth the mountains, createth the wind, &c. and whose name is, The Lord, the God of hosts? For if we do indeed meet him, what cannot so great a God do for us? Surely he can disperse and drive away all imminent evils from us, and communicate all good unto us; but if we refuse to meet him, what cannot he do against us? and what evils cannot he bring upon us? He that form­eth the mountains, &c. And therefore if his mer­cy cannot move us, let yet, as I said, his Majesty; if not his Goodness, his Greatness; and seeing all that is here said, fully declares, that there's no opposing nor resisting him by force, our only way then is so to meet him, as to appease him▪ For with God is terrible majesty, Job 37. 22. Be­hold the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance; yea, all nations before him are as nothing, and counted to him less than nothing and vanity, Isa. 40. 15, 17. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burnt at his presence; yea, the world and all that dwell therein, Nahum. 1. 5. And who would set the briars and thorns against me in battel, I would go thorow them, and burn them together, Isa. 27. 4. The most steely and flinty spirits in the [Page 78] World, can no more stand before God, than Bri­ars and Thorns before a consuming Fire. How easily does he break in pieces all opposite power? By strength shall no man prevail, 1 Sam. 2. 9. Where's the Man that ever was able to carry it against him? or, hath got any thing by contend­ing with him, but blows, and utter overthrow? Pharoah contended with God, but what got he? So Julian the Apostate, but was he not forc'd at last, throwing up his blood towards Heaven, to cry out, Vicisti Galilee, Thou hast overcome, O thou Galilean. Others, even the mightiest, have one time or other met with their match; but never did God. Before him the mightiest Giants are but as Pigmies and Potsherds, and let the Potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth, but not with the great God. Shall weakness con­tend with strength? Impotency with Omnipotency? It is said of a creature, Lay thine hand upon him▪ remember the battel; do no more. And, None is so fierce that dare stir him up: Who then is able to stand before me? Job 41. 8, 10. You know what they said, 2 Kings 10. 4, Two Kings stood not be­fore him, how then shall we stand? Why, a whole World could not stand before God. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength, who hath hardned himself against him, and hath prospered, Job 9. 4. And therefore there being no withstanding him by power, nor carrying it against him by force, let this prevail with us so to meet him, as to labour by all possible ways and means to pacifie him: And then that power which cannot be withstood by us, will be imployed for us; both for averting all im­minent evils, and for procuring all desirable good.

[Page 79]Mot. 3. The great God when he is in such away, seeks for such that should so meet him, as to appease him, that should make up the hedg, and stand in the gap before him for the land, that he should not destroy it: Which as it shews the great scarcity of such, that they are but few: For else, what need they be sought? So his great solicitousness for such, and their great acceptableness to him, and how unwilling he is to go on to execute what he threatens, and that he had rather by such be prevented. Now that the Lord seeks for such, see Ezek. 22. 30, And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedg, and stand in the gap before me, for the land, &c. Peoples sins do as it were break down the hedg, make breaches, open gaps for judgments to come in at: They unfortifie Cities, unarm States, unhedg Churches, and render them as it were naked: as Exod. 32. 25, It is there said, that when that peo­ple had sinned, Moses saw that they were naked, i. e. they lay open to Gods judgments; and the great­er a peoples sins are, the more they break down the hedg, and the greater and wider gaps and breaches do they make. And now, says the Lord, I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedg, and stand in the gap before me, for the land, that I should not destroy it. God had bid o­thers search and see, Jer. 5. 1, Run ye to and fro thorow the streets of Jerusalem, and see now and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man. Why were men so scarce in Jerusa­lem at that time? And was there such a dearth of them, that a man could not be found? Surely no, Jerusalem had men enough, such as they were. [Page 80] It had throngs of men in every Street, but the meaning is, a Man so and so qualified; if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth, and so should stand in the gap; but they could find none: But this did not satisfie God, they might be careless in this work, or overlook such a one; and therefore he here seeks himself. And I sought for a man, &c. And how desirous is God then of such? And shall he not find such, shall he seek in vain? God forbid, how sad would that be?

Mot. 4. If we do not thus meet God, but still go on by our sins more and more to provoke him; God will meet us; but how dreadfully, and in a terrible manner, in anger, wrath and displeasure? Meet us, but not as a man, as he threathens, Isa. 47. 3, I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man, i. e. after the manner of men: what is wrapt up in this expression, I shall open in these Two or Three particulars, not as a man, i. e. 1st, In the weakness of a man, man being weak in power, but as a Powerful Almighty God, non viribus humanis sed Divinis, &c. thou shalt find thou hast to deal, not with a man, but a God; and so with one who is every way able utterly to consume and destroy thee: Thou mayest bear up against men, but canst thou bear up against me? Or, can thine heart indure, or can thine hands be strong in the days that I shall deal with thee? &c. Ezek. 22. 14. Or 2dly, Not as a man, i. e. not with that clemency and compassion that men many times use and show, but as a revengeful God; so that mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; [Page 81] and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice▪ yet will I not hear them, Ezek. 8. 18,-9. 10. Thus not only shalt thou not find the mercy and kind­ness of a God, but not so much as that of a man; neither will I meet thee in the weakness of a man, nor in, or with the compassion of a man. Or 3dly, Not as a man, i. e. but rather as some Salvage devouring Beast, as a Bear, Lyon, Leopard, or such like Beast of Prey. As the Lord threatens elsewhere: Therefore will I be unto them a as Lyon, as a Leopard by the way will I observe them. I will meet them as a Bear that is bereaved of her whelps: I will rent the Caul of their hearts, and there will I devour them like a Lyon: the wild beasts shall tear them, Hosea 13. 7, 8. Thus will the Lord meet, and thus will he deal with all proud, refra­ctory, stout-hearted sinners, that turn not to him, but go on still by their sins more and more to provoke him. He will wound the head of his ene­mies, and the hairy scalp of such a one as goes on still in his trespasses. The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them, Psal. 68. 21-21. 9.

And when the Lord doth this, 1. There will be no escaping of his hand, no securing of them­selves from his wrath, neither by power, nor po­licy; by force, nor flight; by strength, nor stra­tagems; He that fleeth of them shall not flee away: and he that escapeth of them, shall not be delivered; though they dig into hell, thence shall my hand take them, &c. Amos 9. 1, &c. The meaning is, that by no means they shall be able to secure them­selves from the wrath of God. So Chap. 2. 14, 15, Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and [Page 82] the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself, &c. And in vain are Mountains and Rocks called upon to secure here. Can any hide himself in secret places, that I shall not see▪ him, saith the Lord? do not I fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord? Jer. 23. 24. 2. As there will be no escaping his hand; so there will be no being delivered out of his hand; and, There is none▪ saith the Lord, that can deliver out of my hand, Isa. 43. 13. If we fall indeed into mens hands, God can yet rescue and deliver us, as often as he did David, Paul, and others: But who shall deliver out of Gods hand, who is greater than all? None ever did or can. And hence is it said, That it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, Heb. 10. 31. i. e. as an enemy, as an avenger, into his wrathful hands. It is a bles­sed thing indeed, and that which is best for us, to fall into the hands of God, with respect to his mercy, as a correcting, chastising Father, and as looking for mercy from him, in and through a Mediatour: And thus David chose to fall into the hands of God, rather than of men; but to fall into the hands of God, with respect to his wrath, and vengeance, as contenders with his pow­er, and as contemners of his offers of mercy, and tenders of peace; so it is a fearful thing. For he is the living God, and for ever lives to execute what he threatens, and there is no being de ivered out of his hand. Fain they would indeed flee out of his hand, Job 27. 22, extricate▪ themselves from those miseries which have taken hold of them; but in vain do they attempt it: They would give no dilligence at all to meet God, so as to appease his wrath; and now they shall give all dilligence in [Page 83] vain, either to escape, or flee out of his hand. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lesthe tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver, Psal. 50. 22.

Mot. 5. If we do indeed thus meet God, he will meet us comfortably, graciously; his meet­ing of us will be very sweet and reviving; for he will meet us so as to be appeas'd towards us, and we shall make peace with him, as he hath said, Isa. 27. 5, Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me: And what then? Shall it be in vain? No, it follows, And he shall make peace with me: He shall find me exorable, and easie to be intreated: If I be treated with in such a way, and in, and through such a one, as I offer sinners to be treated with: and never in­deed was there a treaty with God in Christ for peace, in a right way, in vain: And therefore the Lord inviting us here to prepare to meet him, shews us what is good, even that which he requires of us, to prepare to meet him; so that whil [...]s many are say­ing, Who will shew us any good? Here's what is good indeed, and not only our duty, but our great interest and concern: David prays, Psal. 86. 17, Shew me a token for good: and if we were once brought to this, this would prove a token for good indeed; for good to our selves and to the Nation; for God who is now in the way of his Judgments, would then return to his ways of Grace and Mercy: and then we thus meeting God, he will so meet us, as to own us, bless us, accept us, and graciously receive us; he will▪ meet us with lov­ing-kindness and tender-mercies, with the shinings [Page 84] of his Face, with the light of his Countenance, with his Favour and Love, in which is life; yea, which is better than life, Psal 30. 5-63. 3. With hïs blessing, and choicest blessings; with Grace, Pardon, Peace, Reconciliation, &c. and then as his going forth is prepared, so shall it by us be ex­perienc'd, as the morning, or Sun-rising to the world, and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the for­mer and latter rain unto the earth: And what a compleat blessing are Sun and Rain to the earth? and the same in his accesses will he be to us; and then he will meet us, as Esau met Ja­cob, Who ran to meet him, and imbrac'd him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, Gen. 33. 4. As Aaron met Moses, Who when he saw him, was glad in his heart, Exod. 4. 14. As Joseph met his Brethren, when he made himself known to them, Gen. 45. As the Father met his returning Pro­digal, who when he was yet a great way off, saw him, and had compassion on him, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, Lnke 15. 20. As Da­vid met Abigail, Who accepted her person and presents, and said to her, Go up to thy house in peace: See I have hearkned to thy voice, &c. 1 Sam. 25. 35. And ver. 33, Blessed, says he, be thy ad­vice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging my self with my own hand; for in very deed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, except thou hadst ha­sted, and come to meet me, surely, there had not been left, &c. So will God say to you, Who shall indeed thus meet him, You are the blessed of the Lord, who made heaven and earth: And blessed be you, and blessed be your work, and blessed be the [Page 85] way and course you took to meet me in the way of my Judgments: for in very deed, unless you had hasted to come to meet me; unless you had made up the hedg, and stood in the gap before me for the Land, I had destroy'd it: I had poured out my indignation upon them: I had consumed them by the fire of my wrath, and their own way had I recompensed upon their heads.: But blessed be you who prevented me. And what an honour, and what a blessed thing is this? What ground of sin­gular comfort may it afford, to be instrumental­ly the faviours of a Nation, and to keep it from ruin; and to have the salvation thereof, as instru­mental to lie at our door, and to prevail with God for m [...]rcy, not only for our selves, but others, the Nation?

Mot. 6. Sixthly and lastly, The Lord will not on­ly so meet us, but remain and still abide with us, and build up mercy among us for ever. Then the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in the time of trouble, will not be as a stranger in the land, nor as a way­faring man that turns aside to tarry for a night; but as an home-dweller, and will perform that e­verlasting Covenant, That he will not turn away from after us to do us good; but continue to do us good with his whole heart, and his whole soul; and we shall be his rest, and his rest shall be glo­rious, and therein, will he say, will I dwell, for I have desired it: And then Glory shall dwell in our land, and mercy and truth shall meet together, righteous­ness and peace shall kiss each other; and then this City, the City of our solemnities, shall recover its pristine glory and grandeur, and become fa­mous [Page 86] and renown'd, a City sought out and not for­saken, Isa. 62. 12: and as iniquity brought it low, and was its reproach; so righteousness shall again exalt it, and be its praise; and we shall then see our Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down, nor one of the stakes re­moved, or cords broken; but there the glorious Lord will be unto us, a place of broad rivers, and streams, &c. Isa. 33. 20, 21. And in that day, shall that song be sung, We have a strong city, salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks, and upon all the glory shall be a defence; yea, the Lord himself will be its defence and keep it, he will water it e­very moment, lest any hurt it, he will keep it night and day: And then the name of this City, yea and Kingdom too, shall be what God once said should be the name of that City, which we read of, Ezek. 48. 35, (As that wherein its happiness and chief good should consist) Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is there: Amen, and Amen.